Councillors to decide on bad debts

Councillors will decide whether to write off more than $170,000 in unpaid debts at tonight’s Town of Port Hedland ordinary council meeting.

Town officers are recommending that the debts be written off under the Local Government Act 1995 as they are either unrecoverable or the cost to pursue them would outweigh the debt owed.

While the debtors themselves have not been revealed, if the council decides to write off the amounts, the impact to the Town would be a $28,346.34 reduction in the 2016-17 budget surplus and $150,568.67 in net assets.

The recommendation to councillors has been to write off the debts provided that the write-off of any bad debt does not prevent the council from reinstating the debt if circumstances change and it becomes collectable.

The Town’s net asset position on December 31 was $20.372 million, with the unrestricted cash position $9.164 million.

The agenda for the meeting, which will be held from 5.30pm, is at porthedland.wa.gov.au.

Other items include the Port Hedland Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Awards and revised YMCA managed stadium facilities hire fees and charges.