It follows a tense meeting of the council during which an attempt to forgive the $160,000 of debt was defeated.

At the municipality's meeting on July 15, councillors resolved to relieve the club of just under $10,000 in rent and debt repayments for the Kaniva Community Hub.

The club now owes $145,000 to the council, which was the hub project's manager, under a loan agreement from 2018 which Mr Gordon said was outdated.

"In the last six months, we were meant to come to a mutual agreement between us and the shire about whether or not we were going to be able to continue on with the agreement. Obviously this year we haven't been able to raise any funds," he said.

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"I know it's quite generous of the shire to forgive some of the debt they encumbered us with, but I find it difficult to see how the community's going to find this money with all the social distancing that's going on."

KLUFC has been the major shareholder and user of Kaniva Community Hub since it opened in August 2017. Mr Gordon said the building had been fantastic for the community and the club.

Mr Gordon said the club would seek to talk with the council soon.

"The community won't move on the next project while got debt of old one hanging over their head," he said.

He said Kaniva's junior footballers would join the Nhill and District Sporting Club to participate in the revised AFL Wimmera Mallee junior season in 2020, proposed to start August 8.

At the July meeting, a majority of West Wimmera Shire councillors voted against an attempt by Councillor Tom Houlihan to fund the club to the tune of $200,000 - eliminating their debt.

READ MORE: Tom Houlihan suspended

Cr Houlihan moved this as one of several last-minute amendments to the council's 2020-21 budget. The motion to adopt the budget passed without the amendments.

Mayor Bruce Meyer, who abstained from the Cr Houlihan's motion, said he did not know how the club would continue to raise money to pay back the outstanding debt.

He did not wish to comment further.

At the meeting, Cr Houlihan moved seven amendments to the motion to adopt the budget, proposing spending on projects across the council area totalling more than $750,000.

"Last year the budget saw $700,000 into the hall in Edenhope and $50,000 into the (recreation reserve) project in Harrow," he said.

"That is not a good distribution of rates, what I'm attempting to do here is a good distribution of rates. I believe I have covered the West Wimmera Shire ratepayers pretty well here. These are the people who have basically spoken up to me, and so I'll put the motion together."

Cr Meyer asked council staff Melanie Jordan and Ashley Roberts where adopting Cr Houlihan's amendment would require another budget consultation period. Mr Roberts said the answer was yes if they were projectsnot initially in the budget.

Councillors Jodie Pretlove and Richard Hicks criticised Cr Houlihan for moving the amendments at the last minute.

"I can not support this motion at all," Cr Pretlove said.

"I find this a little disappointing when... we have had several meetings discussing our budget. To have this all come today... I see West Wimmera as a business and I see being elected as councillor to treat it like a business and to pop things in now, when we have not had the discussion in these levels... would like to be involved in a bit of stability here."

Cr Hicks said he found the move "disheartening" and "non-harmonious".

"There is no documentation from these organisations actually saying whether they require this funding or not," he said.

Mr Gordon said his club had provided the council with documents explaining the need for a total debt waiver in recent years.

Cr Houlihan responded: "Some of the stuff that been going on on this shire... the truth will come out. I ask everyone to think carefully before they vote on this." He shouted "Oh point of order!" when Cr Pretlove tried to raise a point of order in response to this claim.

READ THE BUDGET HERE

Cr Trevor Domaschenz also lost a motion to make borrowings of up to $93,000 available to the Edenhope and District Community Centre as no one seconded it.

After the motion to adopt the 2020-21 budget reverted back to its original form, all five councillors voted in favour.

This means the council will raise a total amount of rates and charges of $7,935,285 for the 2020/21 financial year.

The general rate is $0.2255 cents in the dollar of CIV, the Municipal Charge $155.65, and Waste Collection Charge $323.70 per unit.

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