Rochester ward councillor Paul Jarman has had a very big year indeed, one where he has become more connected than ever to the town where he was born and raised.
But it has also been a year of living dangerously, as he has gone in to bat for his flood-ravaged community in a vigorous and single-minded manner.
By his own admission he can be a polarising figure, he calls it how he sees it and doesn’t generally hold back when he has a project he believes will benefit his community.
In this instance, that same determined attitude has served the Rochester community extremely well.
Cr Jarman and the management committees of the Rochester and Toolleen Recreation Reserves walked away from the June meeting of council with complete funding for projects worth $1.14 million and $608,000 respectively.
While it was not unanimous support, and could have even gone in a different direction if the other two members of council were at the meeting (councillors Leanne Pentreath and John Zobec were apologies), it was a convincing 5-2 vote in favour of Cr Jarman’s motion to provide the funding for both projects to be completed through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure fund.
Debate raged about the council’s stance on financially supporting projects on crown land that were community managed.
That seems to be a debate for another day, as Cr Daniel Mackrell said when he voted against the funding proposal.
“There is a lot more for council to talk about in regard to our recreation reserves. That is for another day,” he said.
“While it would be great, like Christmas even, we need to be fiscally responsible.
“I am not against the money or the increase in lux, but I am saying no to what is in front of us. I don’t think it is what the community has asked for.”
Enter Cr Jarman and, in this case, a voice of reason.
“Communities sometimes ask for what they think they can get, rather than what they want or need,” he said.
“I’m comfortable to raise the number (enabling 300-lux lighting, instead of 150), because Echuca and Kyabram reserves have these lights.
“Rochester is supposed to be at the 300 level. To me this is a common-sense outcome and we end up with two fantastic projects that are delivered in the next six months.”
Cr Weston, who along with Crs Weller, Amos, Gates and Zobec, voted against the proposal to financially support the projects in March, said council was in a position to afford to support the projects.
“If you do the job once it is cheaper than doing it twice,” he said, referring to the upgrade of lighting for Moon Oval.
“It is a million-dollar-plus project. If you are going to do a project of this value we are better off achieving the best outcome. We don’t want them to rue the day of not going to a higher lighting level.”
Like most of the councillors, apart from Cr Jarman, in the chamber Deputy Mayor Colleen Gates was torn between “doing the right thing’’ and doing the ”financially prudent thing“.
“We’ve gone from a place of wondering what we can and can’t fund to funding a shortfall on two projects,” she said.
“We want to be a council that says yes. On the flip side of that, I like to make informed decisions.
“We want to lift the standard across the shire, yes, but we’ve had presentations made by Lockington about lux levels.
“We are moving to a state of policy on the run.”
Cr Mackrell admitted the council members were in a “difficult situation”, because there was no deferring the budget.
“This needs to get done tonight, because the budget needs to be done,” he said.
“I love spending cash, Father’s Day comes around all the time, but I don’t think this is financially prudent.
“We do have money we can splash, but in this case I don’t think we have to.”
In the end Crs Marwood and Mackrell were left on a limb as the remaining five councillors voted in favour of the LRCI funding being granted to Rochester ($306,000) and Toolleen ($180,000).