AFTER weeks of wrangling it took just a minute on Wednesday night for Bathurst Regional Council to commit to financially supporting this year’s Bathurst Edgell Jog.
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And jog organisers were finally granted the full $6000 they had requested – rather than the $5000 recommended by senior council staff.
Councillor Monica Morse, who was absent from Wednesday’s meeting, had previously warned the Edgell Jog’s future could be in doubt due to rising traffic control costs and a lack of support from council during the 2016-17 management plan process.
The committee had originally sought $11,000 to help pay for traffic control staff but when the budget was finalised in June their request had been rejected.
Instead, council invited the jog committee to submit a second, less ambitious, request.
This time they asked for $6000 but when a report from corporate services and finance director Bob Roach was tabled at council on Wednesday night he recommended giving them just $5000 to be funded from Section 356 donations.
“The committee has advised that the request for funds will be used to provide accredited traffic controllers to allow the event to be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the NSW Police and other bodies,” the report stated.
But deputy mayor Ian North was having none of that on Wednesday night and after first confirming the committee’s request had been for $6000, he moved they be given the full amount.
The $6000 contribution was passed with no further discussion from councillors.
That money secures the jog’s short-term future but council will also seek a meeting with the jog committee to discuss the future running of the event.
One option is for council’s events staff to take over the bulk of planning for the Edgell Jog from the volunteer committee, similar to council’s support for the Blayney To Bathurst cycle classic.
The B2B was run in its early years by members of the Rotary Club of Bathurst Daybreak but as it grew it became more difficult for volunteers to manage.
Council’s events staff took over the running of the B2B in 2016 and the Edgell Jog could be the next event on their hit list.
This year’s Edgell Jog is on Sunday, September 18.
