Community funds easier to access
Council updates Community Benefit Fund procedures
Changes have been made to Logan City Council’s Community Benefit Fund to make it more accessible.
Governance Chair Councillor Natalie Willcocks said Council was committed to good governance and transparency in providing financial assistance to the community.
“The Community Benefit Fund is a discretionary fund that allows the Mayor and Councillors to support eligible applicants for community purposes,” Cr Willcocks said.
“And while it’s discretionary, there are a number of checks and balances in place to protect ratepayer dollars.
“However, the community gave us feedback that the process for applying for funds was convoluted, so we’ve reviewed it and endorsed some amendments.”
Changes adopted at today’s Ordinary Meeting include:
- An earlier annual application closing date of April 30 to ensure any Councillor conflicts of interests can be considered in a timely manner before the end of the financial year
- Allowing applicants to be based outside of the city if they have a direct benefit to the Logan community
- Removing red tape for retrospective applications
- Moving the application process to the Smarty Grants software to further promote other grants available from Council and streamline applications
Cr Willcocks said Council offered a range of grants to support the City of Logan’s social, environmental, cultural and economic development.
“Our program includes EnviroGrants, the Regional Arts Development Fund, Investment Attraction Incentives Fund and Community Events Grants, and they’re all designed to make our city a better place to live.”