GROUPS and individuals will still be able to apply to Kingston Council for money quickly needed for projects providing benefit to the community.
Councillors at a public council meeting in November backed a new Quick Response Grants method of making “time sensitive” funds available to community organisations or people who need money urgently for small projects of up to $2000 per year.
The new grants will replace the council ward grants system that allowed councillors to hand out ratepayers’ money to groups, sports clubs and individuals. The Labor state government axed council ward grants last year (‘Ward grants finally axed’, The News 11/11/15).
A Local Government Inspectorate investigation in 2013 found just four councils out of 32 across the state who allowed councillors to dish out discretionary ward funds had appropriate measures in place to stop potential misuse of ward grants.
The previous Coalition state government had begun steps to axe councillor ward grants across Victoria before losing office at last year’s state election.
Kingston councillors previously could distribute up to $6000 each annually to causes deemed worthy before the state government banned ward grants late last year.
Kingston was named as one of several councils in the LGI report “where the administration of a council’s councillors’ discretionary funds program may give rise to serious breaches of the [Local Government] Act”.
Under the new Quick Response Grants program council officers will now ultimately oversee and decide whether a community project is suitable for funding courtesy of ratepayers.
Quick Response grants will not be able to be used for “activities or events that promote political party views”.
“These vital funds will be well utilised, I’m sure,” Cr Paul Peulich said at the council meeting.
“It’s probably an evolution of what we’ve already got with extra oversight from governance.”
The maximum amount that can be awarded to any one applicant in a financial year is $2000.
See kingston.vic.gov.au for Quick Response Grants application criteria or call Kingston Council’s governance team on 9581 4699 for further information.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 20 January 2016
