Bathurst council could still waive fees for 2022 RYDA program

The program, which was held around two weeks ago, went ahead without any financial support from council despite the request for a 50 per cent reduction in fees to use the Mount Panorama pit complex.

The coordinator of RYDA, Iain McKean, called the decision disappointing.

READ MORE: RYDA program goes without financial support from Bathurst council

But things could be about to change.

Councillor Kirralee Burke has lodged a notice of motion to Wednesday's ordinary council meeting, seeking the 50 per cent reduction in fees, up to the value of $5000, to be applied for the 2022 event.

Speaking to the Western Advocate, she said it was her conscience that led to her penning the notice of motion.

"I decided to bring it to council because my conscience got the better of me and I thought, 'This is a little unfair'. I just don't think it is fair," she said.

"... There just doesn't need to be such an exorbitant price on hiring out the pits for a community-focused program. There might be some fees that need to be covered, I understand that, I just think that a more fair resolution needs to come of this."

Council meet with representatives of Rotary, the organisers of the program, in late April.

According to the minutes of that meeting, they discussed that the total cost of the event would be $19,000, with $11,000 of that being the cost of using the pit complex.

Council never resolved to offer any sort of financial assistance for the program in 2022, despite having done so in previous years.

"Council has assisted Rotary with holding the RYDA program over many years with the belief and understanding that the event would move to a self-funding operation. The discussions on this go back over 10 years," general manager David Sherley said.

READ ALSO: Former RYDA co-ordinator Greg Madden furious about how council has treated program

While no councillors offered up a motion prior to the event being held, Cr Burke is confident she will have the support in the chamber to get her one over the line on Wednesday.

The decision appears unlikely to be unanimous, though.

"I'm pretty confident I've got the five for the support. Obviously I know the five that are supporting me and the others, I know there are some hard and fast people against it, which is fine," Cr Burke said.

"I understand that. Not everyone agrees on everything, but then there's a few that might be sitting on the fence."

If the fee waiver is agreed to, the hire fees will be funded through the Mount Panorama fee waiver Section 356 allocation.

"In previous years, that [money] has not even been used, so it seems absurd to me that we are charging a community group so much when we already have a line in the budget to be able to waive fees like this," Cr Burke said.

In addition to the fee waiver, Cr Burke's notice of motion requests that council meet with the RYDA organisers "in the near future" to discuss sustainable funding models for the program moving forward.

Personally, she wants to see council cover costs, but she said other councillors have floated the idea of other councils in the Central West committing funds themselves, given the RYDA program takes in students from outside of Bathurst, too.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: