Council is eligible for $1 million, as one of 14 additional councils funded under the Drought Community Programme – Extension, as formally advised to council by the Federal Government and as conveyed at yesterday’s July meeting.
The program is designed to provide an immediate economic stimulus to drought-affected communities.
Council will liaise with Corowa District Landcare to investigate funding arrangements for a community support officer.
Council will engage with Riverine Plains to ‘in principle funding’ to the value of $30,000 for weather monitoring stations in the Federation Council area, as well as investigating BOM standards for weather data collection.
The program is administered by AusIndustry – Support for Business, within the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.
“The Department will be in contact with council shortly to provide access to an online application system once the updated guidelines have been published,” Federation Council’s General Manager Adrian Butler said at council’s monthly meeting yesterday.
“In the meantime, council needs to start planning the types of projects/programs, that it would like to allocate the funding to, by familiarising with the program documentation.”
Mr Butler advised that another council has used some of the funds towards the employment of a drought officer position, to lead this project and undertake other work in that area.
“The caution there is to ensure that the position does not lead to an expectation that council could afford that role indefinitely, once the drought funding was gone,” he said.
“However the resourcing of this work is a critical issue for council, and council will consider this whilst the types of projects and programs are being considered.”
Federation Council has lobbied the Federal Government hard since mid-2018 once the drought began to really take effect, and it has of course continued in 2019.
The inclusion of Federation Council is also a recognition, Mr Butler said, of the impact this has on the economy of the area, and is being used as advantage, in an effort to negate the need for council to co-contribute in $ terms, (up to 25%) towards projects that council is seeking State Government Grants towards, over the next few years.
“These include longer-term larger projects where funding is sought such as the Corowa Saleyards, Corowa Aerodrome, Ball Park Caravan Park Corowa, and the Lake Urana Precinct projects,” he said.
“Over the last three years, the council has been the recipient of significant mostly State, Government funding. Council has a number of existing projects that require top-up/additional funding and staff are also compiling a list of these for consideration by council, including assessing these against the criteria, along with other projects requested but not funded in this current new budget.
“There are also other new projects, such as improvements to Balldale Water supply that could meet the aims of the funding. Council should aim to finalise a list at the August Council meeting for submission to the Federal Government.”
Crs Bronwyn Thomas, Fred Longmire and Shaun Whitechurch all expressed their thoughts, acknowledging the many ideas and projects which can arise for consideration.
Federation Council also resolved yesterday to formally thank Federal Member for Farrer Sussan Ley and Prime Minister Scott Morrison for the $1 million under the Federal Government Drought Support Program.