Shoalhaven City Councillors voted to give Shoalhaven sporting clubs a 21-month reprieve on floodlighting bills at council’s ordinary meeting on Tuesday night.
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A slight majority of councillors voted in favour of applying no floodlighting charges to sporting clubs from July 1, 2017 to March 30, 2019.
The decision comes after a Shoalhaven Council invoicing error caused bill shock in April, prompting a review into fees.
Many local clubs were invoiced with bills of around $7000 for winter use only and one club copped a bill for $11,800.
Cr Bob Proudfoot said the invoicing error was embarrassing.
“I’m sick of people pulling us up on the street, laughing about it,” Cr Proudfoot said.
“This is a complete embarrassment for our council, the (Shoalhaven) sports board was first to raise it, there was even a bit of laughter in that forum.
“Now, we don’t need that.”
On Tuesday night, councillors applauded staff for conducting a review, to produce a more fair outcome for sporting clubs.
But Cr Bob Proudfoot did not believe the review went far enough, sparking a war of words.
He argued council pays around 15 to 17 cents per kilowatt hour for power and the recommended fee of 47 cents per kilowatt hour would be unfair.
He made an amendment to the review, slashing floodlighting costs to sporting clubs.
Detractors argued council and ratepayers were not in the position to absorb the estimated $50,000 cost of waiving the fees.
Cr Greg Watson backed Cr Proudfoot, arguing council would recoup that in staffing costs – no invoicing means less work.
Shoalhaven mayor Amanda Findley did not mince her words when responding to the suggested amendment.
She urged councillors to vote against the amendment and support the foreshadowed motion.
“It sounds to me like we’re like Santa in a Santa shop,” Cr Findley said.
“We’ve got the cheque book, we can be great people to everybody in the city, fiscal responsibility, let’s just throw it out the window, because that’s not part of our remit here, even though it says it in the Local Government Act that part of what we do is being fiscally responsible,
“We came here and one of the early motions the Shoalhaven Independents got up to council was to see what can be recovered so council can be fiscally responsible. Then when the review is done, it doesn’t matter what it says, let’s just throw it out the window
“I am very much one of those people who would support that local, state or federal government has a role to play in supporting its community. We’re supporting our community by giving them a subsidy of 50 per cent to begin with. So seriously, what are we? Are we really going to be fiscally responsible, or are we going to be like kids in a lolly shop spending whatever’s left over, ‘cause that’s how it feels.”
In her second reference to the Shoalhaven Independents, Cr Watson piped up, furious with the mayor’s line of debate.
“Madam mayor, that’s enough of personalities, stay out of it, if you want a fight, you’ll get a fight, you’re being obnoxious,” Cr Watson said.
Cr Findley was quick to withdraw her second reference to the Independents.
“I’ll just say we’ve got to look after our ratepayers, our poor old ratepayers can’t afford any more,” she said.
“What are we going to do in the future? We have to be fiscally responsible, we can’t be like Santa or kids in the lolly shop spending money on anything we find.”
FOR: Crs Proudfoot, Watson, Mitchell Pakes, Joanna Gash, Patricia White, Mark Kitchener, John Wells
AGAINST: Crs Findley, Kaye Gartner, Annette Alldrick, Nina Cheyne, John Levett
ABSENT: Cr Andrew Guile
South Coast Register Facebook followers chimed into the debate, some of which was broadcast live last night.
“Not for profit clubs can’t afford to pay absurd, overpriced electricity bills,” George Hyam said.
“About bloody time our council did something to support our sports clubs who bust their guts to keep kids in sport,” Phillip Carrett said.
