Businesses in central St Albans will pay an average of $275 a year
under a marketing charge proposed by the St Albans Business Group.
Seeking to make the town centre more vibrant and competitive, the
five-year marketing and business development special rate would charge
about 250 businesses between $100 and $6576 a year based on property
value.
St Albans Business Group president Sebastian Agricola said nearly
100 businesses had expressed in-principle support for the scheme, which
he hoped would help traders compete with larger shopping centres and
their huge advertising budgets.
“Unless we compete, there’s a danger we’ll lose customers and
there’ll be a loss of employment,” he said. “It’s a very modest scheme.
It’s our own money, not ratepayers’ money, which will enable us to have a
part-time co-ordinator.
‘‘Most of us are small businesess, don’t forget that – we’re the best people to administer it, we know how to make a dollar.”
The council approved a similar scheme for Sunshine’s CBD in June.
Nine local traders objected to Sunshine Business Association’s push for a
special rate.
But Mr Agricola said he was not aware of any backlash to the St Albans plan.
A report to the council found that while 7 per cent of businesses
opposed the idea, 42 per cent supported it and the remainder did not
indicate a preference. The rate would raise $112,935 in its first year.
Council chairman John Watson said a significant number of traders
would benefit from the scheme, to be administered by the trader group
and monitored by the council.
The rate would be introduced on January 1.
Submissions close on October 2. The council will make a final decision on November 26.
