City of Greater Geraldton rejects motion to spend $180k on Point Moore cottage so it can be staff housing

A bid by the city’s deputy mayor to spend $180,000 of ratepayers’ funds to remove asbestos from a Point Moore beach cottage so it could be used as “transitional” staff housing has failed. The council stepping into the housing market proved to be an ongoing contentious issue at last Tuesday’s monthly meeting, when Cr Natasha Colliver moved a motion regarding 189 Monsoon Lane in Point Moore. Cr Colliver recommended that $180,000 be allocated in the upcoming mid-year budget review for asbestos removal to make the property it habitable. A cheaper option for asbestos treatment, costing about $80,000, was also put forward. “I am aware that new officers recruited to Geraldton are struggling to find accommodation. By renewing this cottage, the city of Greater Geraldton will be providing one more accommodation option in the current extremely tight rental market and housing crisis,” she said. “By providing transitional housing, we are reducing the risk of losing skilled employees, which can lead to higher recruitment costs and service disruptions.” Cr Colliver said the council should “lead by example”. She said she believed selling the property, while providing a “quick financial sugar hit”, would be “short-sighted”. “This is about responsible asset management and supporting the people who support Geraldton,” she said. Cr Shane Van Styn opposed the motion, saying there was “nothing smart about it”, and adding it would not make much difference at all to the city’s housing crisis. He said it made him “nervous” when local government continued to invest in housing delivery. Cr Van Styn has been a vocal critic of the council’s Olive Street project, which is currently under construction. Seven executive-level homes are being built for key public servants after the State Government pitched in $1.6 million and the city invested $3.1m. The houses are expected to be finished by the middle of this year. A report to the council indicates the Point Moore cottage, which came under the city’s ownership in 2023 via a deceased estate and has a standard lease expiring in 2039, could sell for about $150,000-$200,000 depending on its condition and location. Cr Kim Parker also spoke against the Point Moore motion, saying the council was in the business of “saving money, not wasting money”. Cr Serena Giudice also agreed it was not the right investment for the city to make, saying she could not justify the costs involved in fixing the property. Cr Colliver’s motion was lost 2-7. Cr Van Styn then moved a motion to dispose of the property as soon as possible without undertaking any renovations, and that it be occupied within a year of the lease’s commencement, which passed 8-1.