New policy to ensure equal treatment for city groups

A new Toowoomba Regional Council policy will help guide the deferral of infrastructure charges for charitable community and health organisations.

Toowoomba Regional Council has approved a new policy to guide the deferral of infrastructure charges for charitable community and health organisations.

The new policy will see a framework applied to all public benevolent institutions, health promotion charities and community organisations requesting deferrals, to make sure all receive fair and equal treatment.

TRC Planning and Development Committee chair Cr Megan O’Hara Sullivan said the policy, which was approved at the ordinary meeting of council on Tuesday, would provide greater clarity for applicants and the council.

“Council now has a clear policy for these specific uses that will offer a consistent approach and equitable framework for determining requests for waivers or deferrals of infrastructure charges that council levies,” Cr O’Hara Sullivan said.

“Previously, the decisions were based on an established precedent in relation to the not-for-profit or charitable sector.

“The intent of these historic decisions has been captured in the new policy to ensure council achieves its outcomes to deliver trunk infrastructure.”

The new policy will be effective for two years, starting on February 1, 2021.

“Under the new policy, all successful applicants will be required to sign an infrastructure agreement document that requires any successive entity that is not a not-for-profit or charitable organisation to accept liability for the payment of relevant infrastructure charges,” Cr O’Hara Sullivan said.

TRC Planning and Development Committee portfolio leader Bill Cahill said the sum of the deferred infrastructure charges would be reported to the council in the monthly regional development statistics report.

“Council will track the request trends over the initial two years of the new policy,” Cr Cahill said.

“Council considers it is unlikely that there will be additional financial or resource implications as a result of adopting the policy.”