THE federal government's rejection of a Bathurst Regional Council plan to direct $750,000 in grant funding to building an international standard go-kart track at the top of Mount Panorama is just the latest twist in what is proving to be a long and drawn-out saga.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The majority bloc of councillors inside the chamber came under fire in August for their decision to direct more than 60 per cent of the grant funding allocated to the Bathurst region under the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program to making a start on the track, with another 30 local "shovel-ready" community projects missing out as a result.
And those same councillors have now been left a little red-faced by the government's rejection of the plan, with the official word being it did not fit within the eligibility guidelines of the COVID stimulus package.
It has been suggested the track missed out because the government looked more favourably on projects that would be completed by the funding (rather than simply started, as would be the case with the go-kart track) and council remains bullish - publicly, at least - about the likelihood of securing future state and federal grants to complete the project.
But there must be some concerns.
Initially, this project was to be funded entirely from state and federal grants and it was on that basis - after 28 days of public exhibition - that it was included as a line item in the 2020-21 budget.
It took just five months for council's bloc of five to backflip on that promise to Bathurst ratepayers and in October, following a mayoral minute tabled at the monthly meeting, it was decided that council would seek a $2.25 million bank loan to fund half the project and to get it substantially started.
That might have been a prudent financial decision given the historically low interest rates but it was one that betrayed the trust of many ratepayers and only added to the division associated with this project.
And if council cannot source state and federal grants, then the risk remains that ratepayers could be left footing the bill for the entire project.
That idea is not entirely unreasonable - after all, it is council's job to use ratepayers' money for projects that benefit the region and an international standard go-kart track would be a wonderful asset for Bathurst - but there remain real questions about the way this process has been handled.
What do you think?
- Why not write us a letter to the editor ...
