In a surprise decision made at the monthly meeting, Councillors Jasmin Jones and Geoff Frost rejected a $1500 funding request from the Barton Highway Action Group, while approving a $2000 allowance for an Environmental Forum.
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The Barton Highway Community Action Group has been running a crowdfunding campaign to publicise the plight of the Barton Highway in the run-up to the Federal election.
The group has already raised $1500 and asked Council to match that amount, dollar-for-dollar, for the further expansion of the campaign.
While councillors were keen on the funding, Crs Jones and Frost strongly disagreed with supporting the group as that might suggest that Council is seeking to influence the federal election outcome.
“It would look like we’re swaying voters,” Cr Frost argued. “We’ll end up looking like clowns from Yass Valley Council who tried to mess with the election.”
Crs Michael McManus and Ann Daniel rejected the notion that funding a group that makes the Barton Highway an election issue could influence voters.
“Whoever wins, it doesn’t matter, what matters is that we make the Barton Highway an election issue,” Cr Abbey argued. “It’s not biased, we’re just saying we want the Barton Highway duplicated.”
The vote was won seven to two to fund the action group, the $1500 will be allocated from their own expenses.
In the same meeting, an Environmental Sustainability Forum was proposed for the Yass Valley. The forum designed to help Council and the community achieve environment-related projects and goals.
Councillor Jones moved to raise the zero budget to include $2,000 for amenities that would include sandwiches, biscuits and tea.
One Yass Valley resident who attended the meeting on Wednesday night was disappointed by the councillors’ priorities.
"I'm an everyday Barton Highway commuter. What Cr Jones said to people like me last night was, ‘Let them eat cake’."
"To stand against putting $1,500 into helping a community group make the Barton an election issue, and then personally ask ratepayers to pay $2,000 for tea and bikkies at an environment committee meeting just shows how wrong some councillors' priorities are."