The Kiama councillors who have voted not to sell off all of Blue Haven have inadvertently put a big responsibility on their own shoulders.
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Having knocked back one option to clear the huge debt of council, those five councillors now have an obligation to find another way forward.
At Tuesday's extraordinary council meeting, Cr Imogen Draisma put forward an amendment to the motion on the table, removing a sale of Blue Haven Terralong along with the Bonaira facility.
That amendment got over the line, due to the support of Cr Draisma, fellow Labor councillor Stuart Larkins, Greens Jodi Keast and Kathy Rice and independent Karen Renkema-Lang.
Now, those five have to come up with another solution to council's dire financial situation. If you reject one option put forward, the onus is on you to bring something else to the table.
But here's the thing. The Blue Haven saga has been kicked down the road all year by this council, asking for more reports, more studies - as if to try and delay an unpalatable decision.
To dig council out of its financial hole - it has a $45 million debt repayment due in a few months that it can't meet - all the potential solutions will be unpalatable.
To save money, council can either sell assets, cut costs or raise prices.
That means difficult decisions about selling other council properties, reducing the quality of the services delivered - or maybe even a dreaded rate hike.
Voters hate all of those things. Just like they hated the idea of selling Terralong.
There is no doubt the sale of any part of Blue Haven is a contentious, emotive issue.
But it's also one that has dominated council's attention for more than a year, while other community concerns perhaps don't get the attention they deserve.
The fight's probably not over yet. Don't forget, the sale of Bonaira was voted up, then rescinded before being voted up a second time.
Especially if council ends up going into administration. Then there's only one person calling the shots - and they'd offload Terralong anyway.
So the clock is really ticking for those five councillors.
Blue Haven's troubled timeline
September 2013: The Mercury reports on Kiama council plans to build a $40 million aged care centre.
July 2014: The project now costs $55 million and a few months later it becomes $58 million.
December 2014: It now costs $62.9 million.
May 2015: Blue Haven upgrade is now a $68 million development.
July 2015: The project price climbs to the $74 million mark.
2018: The first sod is turned on a $103 million aged care centre.
February 2022: Council CEO Jane Stroud sounds the alarm about its dire financial straits.
May 2022: Council votes to sell Blue Haven Bonaira, but the decision is rescinded two weeks later.
June 2022: Public meeting to oppose sale plans.
October 2022: Council votes to sell Bonaira.
November 2023: Council is issued with a performance improvement order.
February 2023: In a testy meeting Council rejects plans to sell Terralong.
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Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
