Environment & Climate Change Resilience Grants - Environment Project Grants (Round 20), Climate Change Response Grants (Round 5)

Brian Stockwell46:12

Hey, here's okay, loose. Councillors, do you have any questions or someone willing to move the recommendation? I move the recommendation. I move Councillor Wegener, seconded by Councillor Lorentson, Councillor Wegener? We're all right to speak, no? I'll put the motion. Those in favour? As you know, let's see if we can invite that Council to take a meeting. Thank you very much. Thanks. We're getting we boy. Can invite Cheyenne and Ben to table and they can give us an overview of item 8, which is environment and climate change resilience grants, environment and grants. Project round 20, climate change is what's meant to end by. Hello Chair, hello Councillors. What have you been using to get your salary?

Frank Wilkie92:14

Point of order, Mr Chair. With respect, Councillor Finzel is talking about a review of the whole process, whereas the motion before us is about the climate change resilience grants and the environment grants. And our debate needs to be restricted to that.

Thanks very much Chair. We've had the rounds 20 and rounds 5 of the environmental project grants and climate change resilience grants. Applications were put out, or applications were open in between early February and late March this year. We received a total of 10 applications, oh sorry, 15 applications, 10 for the environment grants and for the climate change grants. This year we changed our application process a little bit where we had a requirement of each application for candidates to be engaged with Council officers prior to submitting their application so we can testify all 15 applications were really strong and aligned really well with Council strategies and plans and current programs as well so our strength of application this year is absolutely fantastic. We received for the environment project grants we received 10 applications to the total of $172,000 we've got a budgeted grant amount for $23,000 just over $23,000 without and they're funded from the Environment Levy with that our climate change china we've got a general rates budget of $50,000 and we received applications for a total of just over $130,000 so both grant schemes were oversubscribed. Once we received all the grant applications we got a pool of assessors together from the environment team and the climate change team we went through conflicts of interest and making sure that nobody who either had a no Council officers that had a connection into the grant applicants or had been engaged with them. To submit an application were part of the assessment panel so from then that staff pool were able to allocate independent assessors and each assessment panel was made up of one management or coordinator one technical officer with one officer with technical skill in those areas and one independent from outside who could look at the grant application without the technical experience but could look at the merits of the grant application as they are matched up against the different strategies. Following our assessments, we ranked all of the applications for the environment grants and ranked all of the climate change grants. We then had a moderation session with Director Kim Rawlings and we through a recommendation that was put through to Council through this report. It was very comprehensive, I can say that.