The matter of over $15,000 owing to Ballina Shire Council by the Ballina Seagulls Rugby League for unpaid rates was discussed at council’s last meeting.
Cr Phillip Meehan suggested 50% of the debt could be waived due to COVID-related hardship, saying the club had not raised enough from recent poker machine sales to recover from its financial crisis.
Cr Ben Smith said he had no issues with the club, but believed there was inadequate transparency about its financial situation. ‘Normally you have to demonstrate hardship,’ he said. ‘The club hasn’t done that.’
Cr Keith Williams said it wasn’t a hardship application, but about the cost of recovering debt from an entity that was being wound up, with a new volunteer-based organisation in the process of taking over the running of the club. ‘This is not an easy job, and it’s being done by volunteers working in the best interests of the community,’ he said.
Club Lennox supported when it was a ‘basket case’
Cr Williams pointed out that Club Lennox had been supported when it was going through financial difficulties, and such circumstances needed to be looked at case by case.
He also pointed out the special importance of the Seagulls to Ballina’s Aboriginal community. ‘Those people will lose, disproportionately,’ he said. ‘This is a community organisation that builds community and brings people together.’
Cr Williams said the 50% offer would mean there would be a chance to come to a settlement, as opposed to the existing plan of writing off only $92 interest on the debt.
‘I don’t think we should just leave this club to the wolves,’ he said.
Cr Nathan Willis said there was an opportunity for the club to enter into a payment plan, and that it might end up being a 100% write-off for council. ‘We shouldn’t pre-judge it,’ he said, arguing for the previous resolution of the finance committee to be maintained.
Exceptional job
Cr Sharon Cadwallader said she didn’t know the personal ins and outs of the club, ‘but I do know they do an exceptional job in the community.
‘I see this as an extension of our community donations, albeit via a different process,’ she said. ‘This would be a negotiation to meet them halfway, give them an incentive to find what’s owing.’
Mayor David Wright said he ‘loved the club’ and was open to writing the whole debt off or 50%, but the club needed to provide bank statements. ‘I just want to know there’s no money there,’ he said.
Cr Jeff Johnson said he supported the 50% idea, but wondered why proper information had not been provided, so that a 100% write-off could be considered now, rather than having the debate again later.
Half knowledgeable people and half footballers
Cr Steve McCarthy said it should be up to Council GM Paul Hickey to assess the financial situation. ‘COVID has upset them, They have seven games a year they need to make money out of. They’re trying their hardest and their new committee is half knowledgeable people and half footballers,’ he said.
As debate returned to the state of the club’s books, Cr Williams said the 2019 books showed it was ‘not a pretty picture. They weren’t able to trade through COVID. Do you think they would be better off this year than in 2019?’
He said at least half the debt should be written off with negotiations after that.
In the end, council voted unanimously to write off interest charges and authorise the GM to provide the club with the opportunity to enter into a suitable payment plan, including possible debt write-off.
Cr Sharon Parry was an apology for the meeting.
More stories about Ballina Shire Council:
Big meeting for Ballina Council this week
The agenda for Thursday's meeting includes six notices of motion from four councillors, with issues including missing persons, volunteer recognition, and arts funding.
Ross Lane flood-resilience works begin ahead of nine-week closure
Construction on a $4.35 million flood-resilience upgrade of Ross Lane at Lennox Head is due to begin today, ahead of a nine-week closure of the busy road later this month.
Ballina Council will be getting a new general manager
With Ballina Shire Council General Manager Paul Hickey deciding to retire after almost twenty years in the role, and even longer as a staff member, the task of finding a replacement has begun. Cr Damien Loone was also returned as Deputy Mayor after Cr Simon Chate withdrew his nomination.
Ballina debates dog parks and net zero
September's meeting opened with a minute's silence for much-loved community member and Lennox Head restaurant owner Blake Rogers, who lost his life last week.
Michelle Bailey targets net zero in Ballina
Fresh from winning pre-selection as the Nationals candidate for the state seat of Ballina, the 'independent' first-term Ballina councillor Michelle Bailey has put forward a notice of motion asking Council to scrap its fixed 2030 net-zero target in favour of what she describes as a 'flexible sustainability strategy'.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
