Concerned community groups have two months to comment on Ballarat City Council’s new lease agreement policy for public assets.
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The policy informs council decisions on its leases, licences and user agreements.
It includes boatsheds, Ballarat Airport, community and neighbourhood houses, men’s sheds, kindergartens and senior citizen clubs.
Some community groups said they were concerned clauses in the agreements could see them booted from public land where they have spent significant amounts to build new assets.
Cr Daniel Moloney said groups did not necessarily own privately built assets on municipal land.
“Council could just in theory go and change a policy that requires us to have all boatsheds for public use – not for private – and it would change it through no fault of the owners,” he said.
“It is more contentious when you have a private asset on public land because it is not strictly private, it can be taken over by council for certain reasons.”
There are clauses with the potential to take over boatsheds, there are no fault clauses which I find incredible
- Cr Daniel Moloney
Cr Moloney said some leases had no fault clauses, which could be terminated on a whim.
“There are clauses with the potential to take over boatsheds, there are no fault clauses which is incredible. I am fine with their being fault clauses, if you are doing something unsafe or out of character with the area than that’s fine and council needs a mechanism to act.
“Because these are leases not actual ownership.”
Council will give the public, community groups and users two months to respond to the new policy.
It will be displayed online at mysayballarat.com until September 29.
Council infrastructure and environment director Terry Demeo said council wanted to ensure the policy reflected community expectations.
“Council will be corresponding with all the existing tenants and occupancy groups directly and submissions in relation to the draft policy are welcomed to inform a decision on this policy,” he said,