A report has been presented to Ballarat City Council detailing the municipality’s involvement at the World League of Historical Cities board meeting in Turkey.
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Ballarat City mayor Samantha McIntosh and chief executive Justine Linley made up the delegation at the week-long conference in Bursa, Turkey.
It included $15,000 business class flights that were approved by council, but created a backlash among ratepayers.
The report revealed the total cost of council’s involvement in the league for more than a decade.
This included $75,000 spent on travel to board meetings between 2007 and 2016.
However the report also said there had been a number of direct and indirect benefits to Ballarat.
This included $145,000 generated from hosting 200 delegates at the league’s 2006 world conference, and the attraction of staff to Ballarat for more “in-house” capability.
In-kind contributions from international research institutions also generated $100,000.
The report presented to council said Ballarat had an important role to play internationally in the context of the World League of Historical Cities.
“Our challenge at the City of Ballarat is to define how we most effectively encompass both aspects to propel modern day Ballarat as a significant contributor internationally,” it said.
It also said council’s delegation put a strong case forward for the inclusion of two extra “sub-themes” at the meeting.
These were communication and technology, and wealth generation and economic benefit from preservation of place.