AN Albury councillor says his city is spending much more than Wodonga Council on joint projects and it "doesn't really stack up" given their financial states.
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Murray King told Tuesday night's council meeting of a list of collaborations where his city's outlay dwarfed the cash provided by Wodonga.
They included destination marketing ($120,000 to $35,000), cycling plan ($150,000 to $75,000), resident attraction campaign ($80,000 to nil) and smart community services ($150,000 to nil).
"Albury City Council has a deficit of around $17 million and ... the City of Wodonga has a surplus of $8.9 million which again doesn't really stack up to why we should be paying significantly more than the City of Wodonga," Cr King said.
He noted there was no longer a significant population difference between the cities.
"I can't see why the City of Albury always has to be stumping up double, triple, quadruple, when our joint partner is not doing it," Cr King said.
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The comments were made in support of Cr King's motion to ensure spending on joint works with neighbouring councils "are equitable and align with the benefits to the parties involved".
However, a vote on the motion was deferred to June 28 with councillor Henk van de Ven questioning the figures presented and saying he needed time to study them before reaching a position.
Albury Council chief executive Frank Zaknich was unaware if Wodonga had a surplus and noted his city's deficit was tipped to be less than $17 million by June 30.
Cr King was accused of "showmanship" by councillor Alice Glachan over his other notice of motion to examine riverside tourist accommodation in Albury.
She noted work on the matter had been occurring for years and Cr King's spruiking of it in The Border Mail last week was a "bit of a soapbox opportunity".
Cr King rejected the claim on the basis of civic interest.
"It's not about showmanship, it's getting something done that we committed to a long time ago," Cr King said.
The motion passed unanimously with councillor Darren Cameron saying the enthusiasm of the community for such a project should not be underestimated.
However, Cr Cameron later argued the city should opt out of an agreement with peak body Murray River Tourism on the basis Albury could not afford annual fees of around $50,000 for the next three years.
He said it was "time we sobered up" with spending commitments, given the city was in the red through depreciation and COVID, and the agreement with Murray River Tourism "doesn't represent value for money".
Cr Glachan rejected Cr Cameron's analysis, saying to achieve the same level of existing market reach and advertising would cost up to $500,000 if Albury did the work alone.
The deal until 2024 was approved with Cr Cameron the only councillor to vote against it.