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Councillor Grants Committee |
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Date |
28 March 2024 |
Time 5:20PM |
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Venue |
Level 12 Boardroom, 126 Church Street Parramatta + MS Teams |
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Attendees |
Committee Members · Jonathan Greig – Executive Director Community & Culture (Chairperson) · Councillor Donna Wang · Councillor Kellie Darley · Councillor Sameer Pandey
Council Staff · David Moutou – Group Manager Social & Community Services · Lucy Brotherton – Community Capacity Building Lead (Convenor) · Rodrigo Gutierrez – Community Capacity Building Manager · Stephanie Raileqe – Community Grants Officer |
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Apologies / Leave of Absence |
· Lord Mayor Councillor Pierre Esber · Councillor Ange Humphries |
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Secretariat |
Melissa McIsaac - Governance |
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HPRM Reference |
F2022/01409 |
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These are draft minutes and are subject to confirmation by the Committee at its next meeting.
The confirmed minutes will replace this draft version on the website.
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Item |
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1 |
Acknowledgement of Country
The City of Parramatta Council acknowledges the Burramattagal Clan of The Dharug Nation, the traditional owners of land of Parramatta and pays its respects to the elders past, present and emerging. |
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2 |
Apologies
The Committee noted apologies from the Lord Mayor, Councillor Pierre Esber, and Councillor Ange Humphries. |
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3 |
Disclosure of Interests
No declarations of interest were made for this Committee Meeting. |
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4 |
Presentation: Annual Community Grants Program Review |
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Description |
The Committee received as presentation from David Moutou, Group Manager Social & Community Services, regarding the action taken to address a Council Resolution from 14 August 2023 to review Council’s annual grants program structure, and report back to the Grants Committee on the outcomes.
The Committee considered Council’s current annual grants program structure by total funding and category sub-limits, in comparison to seven similar council grants programs. The Committee noted that Council’s funding would be generally benchmarked as an upper-middle investment position compared to the other councils, and that an approximate $47k increase to the annual budget would be needed to see Council match the average percentage spend on community grants. The Committee were further informed that Council’s community grants program budget has not been recently adjusted to inflation.
Clarification was provided that Council’s community grants program provides project-based funding and is not set up to offer funding for ongoing operating costs for community organisations. The Committee noted the additional types of grants and concessions offered by Council to the community which fall outside of the community grants framework subject to the review.
The Committee were advised that any recommended changes to community grants funding would need to be addressed as part of Council’s broader 2024/25 Financial Year budget process. The Committee considered options for revising the program, including increasing total funding, changing the spending caps assigned to certain sub-categories, or other operational changes to improve program impact.
Clr Pandey retired from the meeting at 5:59pm, at which point quorum was lost. The Committee agreed to continue with an informal meeting. |
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Outcome |
· Committee Members were generally supportive of increasing the community grants program budget to align with the average percentage of operating budget as spent by comparative councils. · The presentation will be provided via the Councillor Portal to allow for viewing by all Councillors, in response to the Council Resolution. · Councillors will consider whether to recommend any changes to the total funding for Council’s community grants program as part of the current 2024/25 Financial Year budget process. · Clr Pandey requested to organise a further meeting with David Moutou and Jonathan Greig to discuss opportunities for improving the grants program impact. · Council staff will monitor the outcomes of the 2024/25 Financial Year budget process, and account for any anticipated changes to the program budget in the 2024/24 community grants program structure, to be brought to the next meeting for the Committee’s consideration. |
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5 |
Next Meeting Date: 1 May 2024 |
Meeting Closed: 6:12pm