Receiving approval to issue tax deductible receipts for donations to the Nambucca Valley Council Bushfire Relief Appeal is a strong start to the new year in the shire.
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The appeal will be officially launched at an extraordinary meeting of councillors this Thursday at 5.30pm.
In his report to the meeting general manager, Michael Coulter, said an initial proposal to form a funding partnership with the Nambucca Valley Red Cross for the receipt and disbursement of locally collected funds did not eventuate.
"With considerable perseverance by council staff notice of endorsement from the Australian Taxation Office as a deductible gift recipient for a bush fire relief appeal was received on 18 December 2019," Mr Coulter said.
The endorsement takes effect from 11 November 2019 and expires on 10 November 2021.
The Nambucca Valley Council Bush Fire Relief Appeal Fund has a number of strict rules to which is must adhere, including:
Clause 1: The Appeal Fund will take donations from members of the public with the aim to provide funding toward projects that contribute to the recovery and rebuilding efforts of fire affected residents in the Nambucca Valley following the Kian Road Fire natural disaster.
Clause 2: Kian Road Fire means the bushfires that caused damage to Nambucca Valley from 8 November 2019 when the existing fire escalated.
Clause 3: The Appeal Fund aims to provide a "one stop shop" where members of the general public can donate money to assist victims of the Kian Road Fire, while ensuring that all monies donated are used solely on assisting residents who have suffered as a result of the fires.
Mr Coulter acknowledged there were risks and there will be disagreements/criticisms concerning decisions made on the distribution of funding.
The council assessed there is less risk in responding to the natural disaster by creating the appeal rather than saying it's too hard and not seeking donor funding.
"Similar to the taxation system but in reverse there is the dilemma of deciding what weighting to place on someone's financial need versus an equitable sharing of the collected funds," he said.
"The perceived "fairness" in the disbursement of appeal funds will depend on how a person views this weighting.
"A simple example is that some affected residents had adequate home and contents insurance whilst others had no insurance.
What level of financial assistance should these two groups receive? For those with no insurance was this because they could not afford it or because they made a poor choice in prioritising expenditure on less important things."
He concluded however that in spite of these dilemmas the council assessed there is less risk in responding to the natural disaster by creating the bushfire relief appeal rather than by saying it's too hard and not seeking donor funding.
Following the meeting it is proposed council advertise the proposed programs and criteria for the disbursement of funds for comment.
"This will maximise transparency and obtain community feedback on the weighting of 'need versus equity'."
Donations to the appeal can be made via a link on Council's website; https://nambucca.nsw.gov.au/bushfire-appeal/