MORE than $20 million is set to be pulled from Brisbane City Council's infrastructure budget as City Hall scrambles to meet the immediate costs of recovery from recent floods and wild weather.
A special report from BCC's Establishment and Co-ordination Committee to go before this afternoon's full council meeting recommends the re-allocation of $40.5 million from the city's Emergent Expenditure and Inflation Provision Reserve as well as $20.5 million from the Infrastructure Reserve to help pay for the $60.5 million clean-up bill.
Despite the reallocations, a spokesman from the Lord Mayor's office last night said delays to specific infrastructure projects were not predicted as the city council was expecting to be reimbursed under a National Partnerships Agreement signed off on by the State and Federal governments late last week.
The NPA deal came on Friday after a week of State and Commonwealth squabbling over recovery payments to Queensland victims and fears councils would have to wear the costs of repairing some community infrastructure in their areas.
Last night BCC Opposition Leader Milton Dick said he was still concerned taking money from the infrastructure budget could result in some projects being shelved or delayed, like they were after the 2011 floods.
"The bulk of the costs to Brisbane City Council will be paid for by the Australian Government and I'm concerned that council is cutting programs in the short term and won't bring them back online in the future," Cr Dick said.
Meanwhile a joint, state and federal release last night confirmed more flood-affected Queensland primary producers and small business owners could apply for clean-up and recovery grants of up to $25,000.
Primary producers in the South Burnett, Gladstone and Scenic Rim regions as well as targeted parts of the Banana, Goondiwindi, Ipswich, Somerset, Southern Downs and Toowoomba areas are now eligible along with small businesses in parts of the Gladstone and Southern Downs council areas.
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