Staff reporters
Now that Byron Shire Council has decided unequivocally to sell the Roundhouse site at Ocean Shores, which it had previously earmarked for community facilities, it has voted to establish an infrastructure renewal fund (IRF) for this and other income from its property portfolio.
The money will help fund infrastructure upgrades in roads, drains and public spaces, according to general manager Ken Gainger.
The GM said Council had found itself trapped in a cycle of patching potholes. While necessary, it is a short term band-aid fix and does not solve the underlying problem.
‘Our roads need upgrades and resealing and the establishment of a funding reserve will put the focus clearly on building a funding source for priority works,’ he said on Friday.
‘When grant funding from the state and federal governments becomes available, it often comes with the need for Council to commit one dollar for every grant dollar.
‘An infrastructure fund will allow us to have funds available to meet and access grant funding programs for priority works,’ he said.
Mr Gainger denied that the process was a ‘fire sale’ of Council assets.
‘Other income streams earmarked to be fed into the IRF include efficiency improvement programs and income from fees such as the potential expansion of paid parking,’ Mr Gainger said.
Mayor Simon Richardson said the timing of the fund creation was crucial.
‘Our roads and open spaces have taken a battering over the past few months with the persistent wet weather and ex-cyclone Oswald.
‘The resources allocated for road maintenance works have been severely stretched. The roads are saturated and riddled with potholes and staff resources have been fully utilised with the additional landslip workloads.
‘As Council builds the new infrastructure fund we will be breaking the cycle. Good roads don’t need pothole patching and less pothole patching ultimately means Council can re-prioritise its programs.
‘It will not be an overnight fix, but Council has taken the first step in securing financial sustainability to deliver works programs,’ he said.
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