At its June 2024 Ordinary Meeting, and in response to the community led vision for the refurbished Roxy to be “open for business in new and exciting ways”, Council took its first steps towards a new operations model for the refurbished Roxy Community Theatre.
The decision was made in an effort to attract government operational grants and philanthropic funding – which are not usually available to local councils – in order to fully deliver the community’s wishes for a broader and more diverse program stream at the revamped facility.
The endorsed operations model involves the establishment of a not-for-profit, charitable organisation, constituted as a public company limited by guarantee, with Council (the founding member) and two other members tasked to set up a new Board.
The Council will have a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the new Board to ensure community priorities are incorporated into their planning, and there will be regular reports back to Council.
Under the new arrangement, Council will continue to fund depreciation (which includes building maintenance costs), building loan payments and utilities. It will also make an annual contribution of between $245K and $280K to the new Board which needs to be leveraged by them to run the facility.
Council has asked the Roxy Redevelopment Committee (RRC) to recommend who should be the two other members of the new entity. In the meantime, staff will get further legal advice on the set up of the company and confirm what permissions are required from government.
Council’s Portfolio lead for Arts & Culture and Deputy Mayor, Cr Michael Kidd, said that the new model will put the running of the Roxy back in community hands, just as it was in the 1970s.
“With the right model and the right membership of the Board, this new model will provide the community with the best chance of getting its full vision for the Roxy realised. Council simply doesn’t have the funds to do this alone which is why we need a model that will attract sponsors, donors, grants and philanthropic investment that is not typically available to local councils.
“We will also have a Service Level Agreement with the new Board to ensure that the community’s aspirations for the Roxy – which were very clear after extensive public engagement – are assured,” said Cr Kidd.
Council’s Manager Community Development & Cultural Services, Emma Di Muzio, said the new model will be best placed to close the gap between Council’s available operations budget of $280K and the forecast operating cost of $1.1M.
“Under the new model, donations and philanthropic investment will be more attractive as the Roxy will have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) and Charitable status. The same goes for sponsorship where businesses could be offered a tax deduction for their support which in turn could attract even more funding,” she added.
The Roxy is due to reach its long-awaited practical completion in July / August, followed by commissioning from August / September 2024. From September through to November, staff will be trained on the building and new technical equipment. Between July 2024 to March 2025, the new company will be established by the members and a new Board recruited. It is planned to have the new model operating prior to the the refurbished Roxy Grand Opening in March / April 2025.
In the meantime, Council staff will manage the Theatre during a series of ‘soft openings’ allowing all the systems to be tested and staff trained; this includes a variety of public and community groups such as the Eisteddfod Dance Competition, Gralee School Annual Play, and the Outback Band Spectacular which will test the new facility as a live performance venue.
Cr Kidd is encouraging residents not to fear the new operations model, saying it is Leeton Shire’s best chance for ensuring that the community’s full aspirations for the new facility are met.
“While it is a slightly different approach to recent decades, the new operations model for the Roxy will allow us to enjoy the latest blockbuster movies, live theatre productions, musical performances, educational and training programs, civic hire, functions, and conferences. The redeveloped Roxy will have it all and our SLA with the Board will ensure that all decisions they make have regard to the community’s set of aspirations for our Grand Old Lady,” he said.
If you’d like to be a part of helping to write the next act in the story of the Roxy Community Theatre, please let Council know via the below form: https://leeton.elementorg.com/public-pages/roxy-collaboration.
