City of Greater Geraldton council debates $50,000 allocation for jetty site selection study

Councillors have debated the merits of allocating $50,000 to investigate a jetty for Geraldton, with one suggesting the council should go to the State and Federal governments first before dipping into its own pocket. The group campaigning for a jetty for Geraldton appeared in council chambers to reiterate their commitment to the cause, while councillors questioned what path they would take. The council received a petition at the November meeting from the Jetty for Geraldton Community Group requesting the City commit funding for preliminary studies to establish a jetty at the end of the existing rock walls at Midalia Beach. Council documents reveal executive staff are recommending four steps, the first being the council supporting a $50,000 allocation in its mid-year review to fund a site selection study, a compromise on the $200,000 initially requested by the group. Cr Butch Parker suggested the CEO should reshuffle the steps to have the third recommendation come first — writing to State and Federal governments to ascertain interest in financially supporting the project. “Before we spend any more let’s see if there is any interest in terms of financial support from State and Federal levels,” he said. Chief executive officer Ross Mr McKim said executive staff were open to feedback on the order of the operation. Cr Aaron Horsman referred to a survey by the City in 2021 which presented 18 projects to a jury of residents in which they ranked projects they believed were important. “This process prioritised a Beresford foreshore jetty at number six on the list, when would the next community report project be due?” he asked. Mr McKim said the survey was a way for the council to gauge the public’s interest and values on capital works projects and there was no commitment or requirement by the council to implement the projects. “Those projects are the nice-to-haves, we didn’t put in road upgrades or the other basic stuff we have to do,” he said. The surveys are scheduled when the council performs reviews of capital works plans. Councillors will vote on the jetty motion at Tuesday’s council meeting.