BATHURST Regional Council has agreed to provide $19,000 in additional funding for the running of the 2019 Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program, but not before councillors aired their frustrations over the reoccurring issues around funding it.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The organisers of the event, Bathurst East Rotary, had requested that council provide additional funds so it could pay the $23,624 bill for the five-day event that was held in May.
Council has already committed $4333 towards the event this year, the amount funded from its Section 356 Donations, and the director of Corporate Services and Finance had recommended additional funding not be provided.
At Wednesday night's meeting, councillors went against this recommendation and voted to provide the additional funds.
However, they have requested that a further report be presented to another council meeting on the future of the event.
Specifically, they want the report to address how the event will be funded in future and an "alignment [of the program] with council's donations policy and facilities hire practices".
The new recommendation was put forward by deputy mayor Ian North, who said he was sick of the same issue cropping up each year and that council had to work with Rotary to come up with a better solution.
"We want to support these wonderful organisations and the work they do, but we've got to work within guidelines," he said.
"This report will come back to council, and we're going to sit down and have a look at what we need to do."
Cr Warren Aubin agreed that it was an ongoing saga and said it had to stop.
"I remember back when this first started, RYDA was given three years with council funding to get them on their feet with this event, and from then on were to take it on their own, fund it and get sponsorship," he said.
"I understand it's a program put on for kids' safety in cars, that's fine, but when groups book a venue knowing there's a cost involved and then come and play their violin to council saying 'We can't afford that' after the event, it's just not on.
"We need to make a stand on this."
Councillors Monica Morse and Alex Christian both made suggestions as to where Rotary could seek funding from in future.
Cr Morse felt that, as Orange and Blayney students attend and benefit from the event, those council areas should financially contribute to its running costs.
Cr Christian said the organisers should ask relevant businesses for sponsorship.
"I'm a huge supporter of this event, I think all of us here are, but sponsorship is key," he said.
"I really believe that it falls back on RYDA to go out and get the sponsorship. I'm sure there's a lot of people out there, NRMA, Shell, Clancy's, whatever - they need to go out there and try to be self sufficient."
The Western Advocate contacted Bathurst Rotary East about council's decision.
Coordinator David Wrightson said he hadn't been formally notified of the decision yet, but was somewhat disappointed to hear to councillors wanted the group to find further sponsorship.
"It just doesn't seem right to be getting sponsorship just to pay council, I'd rather that money go to another cause or charity," he said.
He said Rotary is willing to have further discussions with council so this important program can continue.
The ideal solution from their perspective is to pay for cleaning and similar expenses, while council provides support for other fees.
