Mount Isa Mayor Danielle Slade is once again the odd one out - the solo vote against a major funding application for projects in the city.
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Cr Slade has not been afraid to be the only vote against motions in her two years as mayor including on issues such as paying for complaints and was also at odds with council over her testimony to the Office of the Independent Assessor.
Now she is the only councillor to vote against Mount Isa's application for the second round of the $100m Resource Community Infrastructure Fund funded by the government and the resource industry.
Mount Isa missed out on round 1 of the funding and has put up two items to be considered for round two.
The package of two items was approved at a special council meeting on Wednesday by six votes to one with Cr Slade the exception.
The items were Major Infrastructure - The replacement of sporting facilities; and Minor Infrastructure - Installation of water playground at Splashez Aquatic Centre.
The motion was proposed by Cr Mick Tully and seconded by Cr Peta MacRae.
Cr Tully said Mount Isa sports were struggling and could do with whatever help Council could offer.
Cr Kim Coghlan said the new infrastructure at Splashez would help attract visitors to the facility.
Cr Slade said she supported a water slide at the Splashez, but the slide proposed is the same as the one in Cloncurry.
"(That's a great size for Cloncurry but Mount Isa needs to have a water slide that is four times bigger, something you would find in the Big 4 caravan park or on the strand in Townsville," Cr Slade said.
"A slide our neighboring communities would come to Mount Isa to access. This is a great opportunity with RCIF to go for something a lot bigger for our community, it would go a long way for making Mount Isa a lot more livable for families."
Cr Slade said she had several reasons for voting against toilets and changerooms for 14 sports.
"The first and most importantly, we got knocked back on the same proposal with the RCIF for round 1, if they didn't like this project before, why would they like it this time?" she said.
"The best way council can support sports and non for profits in Mount Isa is to drastically reduce their rates, which would go a long way to give them long term sustainability and also, council working with these non for profits to provide more support and professional services in the pursuit of grants and funding. Each sports have their own list of priorities, and we should be working with them one on one on helping them to achieve these goals."
Cr Slade said Council has applied for a grant from AFL Qld for $150,000, which needs to be matched by RCIF grant, to allow AFL Mount Isa to receive the funding.
"If council is unsuccessful with the RCIF application, I don't believe that council should be matching the $150,000," she said.
"I just don't think council should be doing this for one sport. It should be a holistic approach, whatever we do for one, we do for everyone."
Cr Slade said the RCIF was an eight million fund and they needed to look at projects that benefit the entire community like a large stadium or lighting and field at an international standard that could ensure televised games and events.
"As more and more opportunities are coming to the regions, we need to be in a position to host. This stadium could also have a Club House that could supply a large range of facilities to support the stadium," she said.
"The most important thing council can do right now is ensure that the non for profits named in this funding application, do not get impacted by increased charges in their rates for pedestals (toilets), example; If a non for profit replaces 3 toilets with 10 toilets, this could increase their yearly rates bill by $2,000. Council will only not only have to commit to not impacting these non for profits with no extra costs, but we really need to look at their rates and do whatever we can to significantly reduce them."
Cr George Fortune said he also supported a large stadium in Mount Isa but $8 million would barely cover a feasibility study.
Cr MacRae said they needed shovel ready projects to take forward to RCIF.
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