How the Funds from REZ Projects are to be used by Armidale Regional Council for Community Benefits? Lack of a transparent and fair process?
There is an article in Renew Economy about the Battery company BESS agreeing to provide $20,000 per annum for 20 years for the maintenance of the rail trail?
This poses pertinent questions about the transparency and the fairness of the process adopted by the ARC mayor and/ or the GM when negotiating such grants with individual projects.
These are grants that projects in the REZ have agreed to pay the council to compensate for the pressures that our communities face in terms of water,housing,traffic and other essential services.
Council adopted a Community Benifit Framework last year. Copy available from ARC website - under policies. Council is yet to establish the board for the Future Fund to administer many millions to be received from REZ projects . Current thinking is that 75 percent is to be allocated to council infrastructure projects and 25 percent to community benefit projects. This is very unfair. It has to be otherway around. i.e. 75% for community benefit projects.
Armidale egional council should not negotiate individual contracts with specific companies for pet projects of the Mayor and the GM. The full council needs to develop a fair and transparent process for such negotiations -not leave it in the hands of one or two individuals or behind the scene deals with a handshake.
Funds from REZ projects should be negotiated and used to enhance water security, housing,improve roads,traffic and health of the community.
The whole community in the LG area should have a say in how the expected 30 million over 10 years is to be used for the long term sustainability of the council services and the REZ workforce involved in the construction phase to be followed by opeation phase.