WODONGA Council will sell 30 hectares of its Logic estate at Barnawartha for a rail hub development, arguing the sale will help pay down its debt and directly create 118 jobs.
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But the council won’t reveal the sale price for a deal that drew opposition from those operating the existing Ettamogah Rail Hub and others concerned about the council’s granting of a rates concession to the land buyer.
Mayor Rodney Wangman says the land was sold at or above valuation but the sale price would not be revealed because the details were commercial-in- confidence.
But if the council is going to tell ratepayers the sale will help pay down the city’s $29.7 million debt, it should be willing to say how much it will be able to clear of the $7.8 million it attributes to the Logic development.
It should also be confirming the developer of the hub, SCT Logistics has been able to secure the $7 million it had previously sought from the Victorian government to cover the cost of earthworks to prepare the site for the terminal and installation of the rail line.
Now the project has won council approval, it should be under way as soon as practicable to bring the benefits cited.
