Bass Coast's 25% fee hike could be a show-stopper

THE devil, as they say, is in the detail of the Bass Coast Shire Council’s Budget 2022-23, presently out for public comment, until Monday, May 16.

And whether by accident or design, the shire council did not post the draft fees and charges schedule, that’s part of the Budget, on its website until the Sentinel-Times posed a question about it.

The question was prompted by an inquiry from some of the users of the Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre (WUCAC), and prospective users of the new arts centre in Cowes.

The draft fees and charges schedule is there now, but due to the council's oversight, the community has not been given the same amount of time to comment on the fee changes, as the Budget itself.

At the Wonthaggi Centre, for example, the likes of the Wonthaggi Theatrical Group are staring down a 25% increase in the cost of putting on a show, up from $600 per day to $750-a-day or up from $300 to $375 (half day).

On top of that they are being asked to pay an additional 23% in rehearsal fees per day, while the cost of so-called ‘black out days’, the occasions between performances when the theatre is not being used, has gone up 37% from $50 to $80-a-day.

It’s all money that the users of the WUCAC will have to recover from patrons, if they can, or consider scaling back their annual performances, and taking their shows elsewhere.

That’s definitely not what the Miners Union had in mind when they originally funded the community arts centre.

The shire also wants to increase the amount it takes from these community groups’ ticket sales, from skimming $2-a-ticket to $2.50 and to introduce a whole list of new charges for a Technician (Supervision or other) $45/hr, Duty Manager $40/hr, box office $40/hr and ushers/front of house $35/hr (roles that were volunteered by community group members).

Previously community groups like the Wonthaggi Theatrical Group provided bar services but they’ve also lost the income from that as well.

To date the Wonthaggi Theatrical Group has declined to comment, until after a meeting in the coming week, but they have acknowledged that the changes could cost them in excess of $15,000 to run their annual musical performance and will certainly be making a submission objecting to the proposed rate increases.

Bass Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association President Kevin Griffin said he believed the 25% increase in charges at the Wonthaggi Arts Centre were a clear attempt at gouging users of the centre, especially the local community groups.

“That’s an enormous increase which I believe the council will have a lot of trouble justifying,” Mr Griffin said this week.

“I don’t know what the council has been changing these groups in the past few years, but they need to fully justify an increase of that scale.

“If we say inflation is now running at 5%, that’s five-times the rate of inflation.

“I wouldn’t think they’d be able to pass it on just like that, so we need to be hearing from council about their reasoning for such an enormous increase.”

The Offshore Theatre Group at Phillip Island is also concerned about the proposed charges for the $27.2 million Cowes Community and Cultural Centre (CCCC).

The subsidised rate for hiring the auditorium (250 seats) for a theatre performance is $638 (full day), or $319 (half day), an even higher per seat rate than proposed at the Wonthaggi Arts Centre (416 seats).

The cost per seat of hiring Cowes is $2.55 per seat, whereas the WUCAC is approximately $1.80 per seat.

The submission period for the Bass Coast Shire Council Budget and Fees & charges schedule will close at 5pm on Monday, May 16 and submissions will be considered by Council at its meeting on Wednesday, May 25.

Q&A with the Bass Coast Council

Question 1: Why have the (unsubsidised) performance rates at the WUCAC stayed at $1500 (full day) and $750 (half day) when the cost to local groups has gone up by 25%?

Answer 1: True, the commercial hire of WUCAC rate has not changed. Council has elected to base all subsidised and discounted fees and charges to this rate. Council is also happy to talk with any group or individual about how this applies to their circumstances.

Question 2: But the subsidised performance rates go up by 25% for local community groups and not-for-profit users from $600 to $750 (full day) or $300 to $375 (half day)?

Answer 2: Fees and charges must make a reasonable contribution to cost recovery by Council for facility, operational and programming costs to ensure sustainable ongoing service delivery. Council does and will continue to subsidise a percentage of the full operational and facility costs as part of its service commitment to deliver arts and cultural opportunities to the community within the strategic aims of the Arts and Cultural Strategy.

Question 3: Who is eligible for the ‘subsidised rate’? Is Newhaven College eligible for the subsidised rate for their annual musical production? Is the Wonthaggi Theatrical Group eligible for the subsidised rate for their annual musical production? Are the various private ballet groups (in the Bass Coast Shire & outside the Bass Coast Shire) eligible for the subsidised rate?

Answer 3: Schools, not-for-profit organisations such as the WTG and dance schools are eligible for the subsidised rate.

Question 4: To whom does the rehearsal rate apply? Are WTG, Newhaven College and ballet schools eligible for the subsidised rehearsal rate?

Answer 4: The rehearsal rate applies to anyone who books the venue for a rehearsal. Whether or not it is subsidized is determined by the hirers' eligibly as outlined above.

Question 5: What are ‘black out days’? Are the above groups eligible for the subsidised rate for black out days ?

Answer 5: Yes black out days are days when the hirer is not active in the facility but holds the venue from being otherwise engaged.

Question 6: To what extent are visiting performances offered the subsidised rates?

Answer 6: Commercial touring performances are not eligible for subsidised rates.

Question 7: How did you arrive at the fees for the Cowes Cultural and Community Centre and how do they relate to the fees previously charged to groups like Offshore Theatre to use the old Cowes Cultural Centre.

Answer 7: Fees and Charges must be consistent across the Council managed Cultural Centres. Cowes CCC has less seats than the WUCAC. Despite this, staffing and facility costs for operating both venues are comparable. A discount for the hire of the Cowes venue for a performance is appropriate to acknowledge the reduced full house revenue opportunities due to lesser seats. It should also be acknowledged that the Island community groups were previously paying for an ageing building in decline and will now have a new $28m state of the art, fully equipped facility, with a corresponding increase to level of service including qualified technical and marketing support, ticketing sales and management.

Newhaven College's production of Shrek opens on Friday night, May 6.

Builders slugged on tip charges

DUMPING extra waste is the other area of the Bass Coast Shire Council’s draft fees and charges that has raised eyebrows.

And builders in particular might need to take notice with the cost of dumping construction waste set to increase from $200.90/tonne to $300/tonne.

While the overall ‘Garbage Charge’ is projected to drop 1.8% from $500.92 to $492.08 this coming financial year, many of the additional waste charges are projected to increase.

If you want to upgrade your fortnightly 120-litre ‘red’ waste bin, for example, to a 240-litre bin, you’ll pay 66% more, up from $59.20 to $98.41, on top of the annual Garbage Charge of $492.08.

Other increases are as follows:

• Hard rubbish collection call up from $67 to $110
• Mattress disposal (double) $20.60 to $32.80
• Commercial waste (including construction/demolition waste up from $200.90/tonne to $300/tonne
• Polystyrene (240 litre) up from nil to $14
• Additional 240lt waste bin up from $176.40 to $226.84
• Municipal waste landfill charge $164.80/tonne to $252/tonne

Those wishing to make comment on the increase in waste fees, as part of the BCSC 2022-23 Budget process, have until 5pm May 16, 2022.