THE City of Busselton will tonight decide whether to endorse recommendations from the marketing and events reference group’s meeting in July.
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The group recommended the city allocate funds to develop annual events which would benefit the local community, and add to the experience of visitors, further cementing the region as the events capital of regional WA.
A staff report to council outlined the 2012/13 financial year saw an increase from 44 to 65 major events in the City of Busselton, which included 12 annual and nine one-off events.
In the report, city officers have recommended that council vote to endorse $1300 funding to the Australian Police Bowls Championships, $5000 to the Australia Day Rotary breakfast, $11,000 to a Buy Local Christmas marketing campaign, and $25,000 to the Busselton Foreshore Polo event.
Officers also recommended increasing the budget of the Fringe Arts Busselton Culture on Queen Street event by $2500 and allocating $10,000 for event management consultants, as well as increasing Jazz by the Bay funding by $3000 and allocating a further $7000 for event management consultants.
At last week’s briefing session the city’s events coordinator Shane Walshe defended the funding for consultants, saying the contractors would be able to reduce city staff workload’s, and provide relevant outside expertise and contacts needed to create such events.
Cr David Reid also questioned whether $5000 would be enough to attract local artists to perform at the Australia Day Rotary breakfast, concerned at the disparity between the funding of this event and the foreshore polo.
At the briefing, it was suggested the Rotary Club could further subsidise this funding with a Federal government grant.
The city may disagree with the recommendations, and vote not to endorse part or all of them, although Mr Walshe said he was convinced the $5000 would be enough.
Council will also decide on transferring $5000 each from the Cinefest budget and the Busselton Beach Festival budget, to top up funds for the Geographe Bay Race Week event, which was allocated nil funding by error. An absolute majority would be required to pass this portion of the item.
If endorsed, these events would receive the funding set aside in the Differential Rates Event Sponsorship Budget for 2013/14.
