Proposal to increase budget of two Hills Shire Council parties by $143,000 voted down

A PROPOSED $143,000 increase to two Hills Shire Council parties sparked a fierce debate at last night’s council meeting.

The budget review report sparked a long debate among the Hills Shire councillors.

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A PROPOSED $143,000 increase to two Hills Shire Council parties sparked a fierce debate at last night’s council meeting.

The budget review report provided an overview of the council’s expenses and income generated from assists and events and was brought before the September 28 council meeting.

But it was the $143,000 increase to the budgets of the Mayor’s Christmas Party and the New Year’s Eve activities that was a hard pill to swallow for many of the councillors.

Councillor Raymond Harty said while he acknowledge there were “some good things” in the budget review, he slammed the increase to the parties as an “extravagance”.

“What is that money going to be spent on?” he asked.

“We’ve all attended the Mayoral Christmas parties — did anyone find anything to criticise about it? Was the food so terrible that we went away and threw up?

“That’s the issue of the amendment; not so it can be ‘massaged’ and explained that the money is being spent not on frozen party pies but on the lobster or it might get spent on a variety of seafood.”

Cr Harty said it was an extravagance.

Cr Taylor also argued against the party spending increase.

Councillor Ryan Tracey started his response against the potential party budget increase by acknowledging the Darug peoples; a protest against the last council meeting on September 13 where his proposal to incorporate the custom into the Hills Shire Council was shot down.

“I don’t support extravagance and excess,” he said.

“People are doing it tough out there (and) if frozen pies aren’t good enough (at the Christmas party) that we need noodle boxes ... it’s unacceptable.”

Councillor Mark Taylor disapproved, saying he did not want to end up on the front page of the Hills Shire Times or other newspapers approving such a measure.

“The lack of information is disappointing,” he said. “We should be spending money on infrastructure and not spending money on party and events.”

General manager Dave Walker was not able to confirm on the night how much the original budget was for the Mayoral Christmas party and the New Year’s Eve event.

A response has been sought from the Hills Shire Council on the budget. In it’s executive summary for 2016/17, it noted $2.7 million would be spent on community events.

Councillor Michael Thomas believed the prices were inflated but could not confirm it because of the lack of detail in the report.

The now-cancelled Sydney Country Music Festival at Bella Vista Farm was expected to cost nearly $300,000.

Also included in the budget review was a decrease in expenditure of $295,000 for not holding the Sydney Country Music Festival. The council expected to earn $152,000 from holding the music day later this year.

The original budget review was shot down and amended to be passed without the increase to the budget of the Mayoral Christmas party and the New Year’s Eve festivities.

The amended budget was passed unanimously.

The $143,000 will be placed in the council’s surplus.