By Phil Herrick

Like a giant, bloated leech the Batemans Bay Pavilions remains firmly attached to council’s money supply, sucking out astonishing sums of money.

The latest report on the financial performance of the Pavilions was tabled by finance director Stephanie Speedy at the meeting of Eurobodalla Shire Council on Tuesday this week.

The cost of running the swimming pool, theatre and gym at the Bay Pavilions for the nine months from last July to March was $4,504,701 and ratepayers are on track to pay $6,205,707 (including depreciation) for the full year. That’s bit over $17,000 being lost every day, or around $120,000 a week.

You could say “that’s a tonne of money!” And yes, quite literally, it is!

A $1 coin is 2.8mm thick and weighs 9 grams. Stacked carefully on top of each other the Bay Pavilions lost dollars would tower 17.4 kilometres into the sky, literally into the stratosphere.

If the councillors and their staff had to stand at the door and shovel the $1 coins inside to cover the yearly loss they’d need to move 55.85 tonnes of money!

They’d clearly be exhausted and might need a swim to cool off! Thank goodness they only need to tap a keyboard.

The General Fund (the source of those $1 coins) continues to push to losses over $9 million this year, with Ms Speedy labelling the situation as “unsustainable” in the council’s draft budget, currently on display for comment.

On Tuesday she reported “Council is struggling to contain operating expenditure within operating revenue.” Hardly a surprise when the cash loss from the Bay Pavilions this year is on track to hit around $3.7 million.

As usual when the financial report on the Bay Pavilions and its impact on council’s finances was tabled there was no discussion or comment from our elected representatives.

For example, the Yuin Theatre at the Pavilions is currently advertising events on just 23 days in the five months from June. Will it gather dust on the other 128 days, burning money on staff and overhead?

The staff offered no plans to improve the business and stem the cascade of cash. The councillors asked no questions or demanded any action from them.

It seems the staff and councillors don’t care. After all, it’s not their money.