By Cam Lucadou-Wells
CASEY mayor Sam Aziz has led a public slam-dunking of Casey Basketball Association, accusing the sports group of holding the councillors to “political ransom”.
At a council meeting on 20 September, Cr Aziz accused the association of making threats and false claims of increased fees at the under-construction $18 million Casey Indoor Leisure Centre (CILC) in Cranbourne East.
“It will be a cold day in hell before I or our colleagues will put our political futures at the expense of our ratepayers when a club or association is holding us to ransom,” Cr Aziz said.
At the meeting, Councillor Garry Rowe accused the CBA of being “belligerent” and having to be dragged by the council “kicking and screaming to good governance levels”.
Earlier that day, CBA president Daniel Phillips – who led the CBA to an ‘association of the year’ state basketball award in 2014 – argued for a fee reduction in a letter to Cr Aziz.
Mr Phillips stated the CBA couldn’t afford to increase its court time to 10,000 hours at the CILC under the existing $35 an hour licence rate.
The resulting $350,000 bill was about $100,000 more than charged at the state’s most expensive venue, the State Basketball Centre and was “simply not fair and equitable”.
Mr Phillips stated that he was anxious to get a new licence agreement prior to 1 December, so the CBA could plan its winter season.
“Despite our concerns and financial evidence, there has been a lack of willingness by the council to negotiate.
“As a result to ensure the survival of our associations we believe it’s imperative of us to inform the 10,000-plus voting members and extended families … so they have the opportunity to express their thoughts at the upcoming council election.”
Cr Aziz wrote back that it was disappointing that Mr Phillips “resort(ed) to this cheap act of a threat just because we are at the eve of a council election”.
“It would be in the best interest of your members that your association gets itself a new president.”
In a media statement, Cr Aziz stated “the associations had been informed (by Mr Phillips) that the current hourly rate will increase but no rate has yet been discussed with them at any point by council officers”.
The rate would be decided once the contract for running the CILC was awarded, Cr Aziz said.
He described Mr Phillips’ letter as a “slap in the face” after Casey had invested significantly into the facility and basketball and netball.
In an urgent business motion led by Cr Aziz, the council agreed to invite the CBA to a meeting to discuss the matters as well as “concerns … to some of the governance aspects of the association” – as well as issuing a ‘please explain’ letter.
He also publicly stated the CBA was “currently not short of money” with $222,000 equity as of October 2015, and a year-to-date surplus of $124,000 at June 2016.
Mr Phillips told Star News he was surprised the figures were revealed after being confidentially provided to the council.
He said the rate shouldn’t be based on how much was in the CBA’s bank but on a comparable rate with other stadia.
“There’s two options for us – we stay at the school stadiums, we don’t grow and develop and the new facility is empty.
“Or we put up our prices and pay what we have to pay.”
The CILC is expected to open in March.
