The Roxburgh Community Board has turned down a request from the Roxburgh and District Arts Society for a grant of $1190 to cover the cost of hiring the Roxburgh Town Hall during Labour Weekend for the annual arts exhibition.
The board agreed to a reduced charge of $720 to be paid for the four days the exhibition is open to the public.
The society would not be charged for the set-up time and the board waived a charge for using the track lighting.
Society president Sheena Boag said the society had written to the board expressing its disappointment in the lack of support.
"We are trying to lift the profile at Roxburgh and they're not being very supportive," she said.
The society had already donated more than $1700 to install wiring for track lighting, and raised an additional $17,000 to purchase and install track lighting in the dance hall and supper room at the Roxburgh Hall, Mrs Boag said.
"They [the board] were going to charge us $350 for the use of the lights we had bought and paid for, but I laughed at that idea," she said.
Board chairman Steven Jeffrey said the board had worked long and hard setting fair and equitable charges for hall hire, with non-profit organisations paying just $15 an hour for parts of the hall.
