If it's anything like our councils, then the "beautification" money was probably a grant from the federal government. In order to get the money they need to put in a bid for certain things and then they need to prove that this is exactly what they've done with that grant once they get it. The federal government will probably also dictate what area this grant money is for, so even if "beautification", for example, isn't needed, they would still have to apply in that capacity. They aren't about to turn money down just because they don't need it for that particular thing! ;)