ALBURY councillor Darren Cameron is convinced the only way to bankroll a $50 million indoor swimming complex would be for the next council to agree to another special rate variation.
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The city’s debt level is projected to hit $64 million by 2020, the fourth year of the incoming council, which will decide if the aquatics project goes ahead.
Albury Council cannot raise rates beyond the rate-peg without approval, but the previous council introduced a special rate which helped bankroll construction of the Murray Art Museum Albury, Volt Lane car park and Wagga Road improvements.
Cr Cameron said ratepayers should be aware of the impost which would be placed on them if there was no government or philanthropic funding forthcoming for an indoor pool complex at Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.
“There is no way this project will be able to be funded, particularly the ongoing maintenance and running costs, without a special rate variation,” he said.
“The art gallery was just a taste and this project would be the equivalent of four MAMAs.
“We will find ourselves like sheep being herded up the race into the abattoir unable to turn around until we reach fiscal slaughter.”
Cr Cameron said the recent upgrade of the Urana Road Oval, which included stakeholder buy-in, was a template for major projects in Albury.
“If it’s good enough for the Murray Magpies Football Club and New City Cricket Club and the other users of Urana Road Oval to come up with half the cost of the recent upgrade, cash and in-kind, then why do Stuart Baker and his friends have such a sense of entitlement that they think the ratepayers of Albury can provide them with the ultimate facility for their chosen sport?” he said.
Former mayor Stuart Baker has criticised Cr Cameron for having a “village mentality” on major projects.
Cr David Thurley said Cr Cameron was being premature about his pool complex funding concerns.
But he added that he wouldn’t support a $50 million complex if there wasn’t major government funding.
“I would never do that,” Cr Thurley said.
“The guts of it is that unless it receives substantial funding from state and federal governments, or an unlikely event, a benefactor or some private enterprise, it won’t have legs.
“We need to keep hammering them, but we haven’t asked them yet.”