Room to move is the message delivered to the occupants of Campaspe shire buildings who are at the centre of debate in regard to the council’s lease-based Policy 161.
Policy 161 is the guiding document that dictates the future of relationships between council and occupants of local government-owned buildings.
For those not privy to recent publicity about the plight of groups using council halls as meeting places, Policy 161 relates to “leases for local community organisations and artisans.”
Its intention is to formalise agreements between council and community organisations or artisans for the use of council buildings — in other words a lease where the user is responsible for the running costs of the location.
The April 26, 2022, document — signed by former Campaspe chief executive officer Declan Moore — explains that Policy 161 is also impacted by council policies relating to commercial leasing, rates and charges, and building and contents insurance.
Hence the recruitment of groups like senior citizens of individuals like the “white knight’’ described in last week’s article to please their case.
The white knight’s discussion with interim Campaspe shire chief executive officer Tim Tamlin was initially hailed as a success by both parties.
Mr Tamlin, however, was not as “loose’’ in his description of the policy’s intent, but did say the policy was open to ”interpretation’’.
“One size does not fit all,’’ he said.
That will be music to the ears of the senior citizens, guides, scouts and other community groups that currently used council-owned buildings as the home base for their organisations.
Mr Tamlin met with the representative of the Echuca Senior Citizens Club last week and that meeting may well provide a precedent on which other Campaspe shire organisations can negotiate their future lease arrangements with their landlord.
As a result the seniors are likely to enter into a sub-leasing arrangement with another organisation — to make the use of the hall more affordable.
“All parties can walk away feeling good about the outcome,” Mr Tamlin said.
There remains, however, an overarching intent for council to move away from any fiscal responsibility for buildings that were financially unviable.
“There are situations which will be open to the discussion due to the situation. This was one of those,” Mr Tamlin said.
He said council’s Asset Management Plan document, recently adopted with an important amendment delivered by Deputy Mayor Councillor Colleen Gates, also needed further work.
Cr Gates’ amendment allows for the inclusion of outcomes from the Place Based Plan and Township Facility Plan committees
Mr Tamlin said “user pay’’ councils were not the way of the future.
“What should be subsidised by council and what should be user pays will continue to be an area for discussion and consideration,” he said.