Published on Friday, 15 May 2020 at 3:23:59 PM
MEDIA RELEASE
In the coming weeks, all electors of Narrogin will each receive $50 to spend locally in Narrogin businesses through the Council’s adoption of a Covid-19 Relief & Recovery Strategy.
At its last meeting, the Shire Council made the decision to immediately stimulate the Narrogin economy by providing all residents, who are over the age of 18 and who are already on the Electoral Roll for Narrogin, with five (5) $10 vouchers, redeemable at any of the 150 plus Narrogin businesses who are already members of the Narrogin Chamber of Commerce. This strategy, “Together We Can”, along with a number of other strategies were passed by the Council in an effort to provide relief to its residential and business community, and also its sporting and cultural groups.
Shire President Leigh Ballard said “That means that almost 3,200 residents will each be receiving $50 in RECOVERY@NARROGIN Dollars”. “That’s $160,000 being directly pumped into the local economy, with the power of deciding which local business they want to support, totally at the discretion of the local resident”.
When quizzed as to where he would be spending his dollars, President Ballard replied “Personally, I’m going to invest in the local cafes - they’ve been doing it the toughest I think”.
The Council also decided on additional strategies to provide some direct injection and relief to targeted businesses, and in an agreement with the Narrogin Chamber of Commerce, will pay the current year’s membership fees for most existing members of the Chamber and for any new members who may wish to join (subject to meeting certain criteria). This will allow for businesses in the townsites of Narrogin or Highbury, who are not already members, to join the Chamber, and also participate in the voucher redemption program.
“We think this is a terrific idea” said Chair of the Chamber, Bevan Steele, “There are a lot of new businesses, or businesses who have been thinking of joining the Chamber, who could benefit from this right now”. “Any non-Member businesses, especially many of those perhaps, who are still getting established, can also take up this 12 month free membership deal and should contact the Chamber of Commerce immediately to find out if they are eligible”.
President Ballard added, “We have been carefully scrutinising our Budget looking for expenditure we can cut, or defer, whilst also taking into consideration revenue that will be lost by the Shire such as income for hiring out of Shire facilities. In our deliberations we have found over $220,000 that can be immediately redeployed in a number of ways, without having to cut services or go into debt”.
“The ‘Together We Can’ strategy also goes hand-in-glove with the Shire’s ‘Buy Local’ Policy. The direct impact of keeping money in the community means that local people have a better chance of keeping their jobs and the money paid to them, is most likely to be spent again and perhaps even again in the community – known as the multiplier effect”.
Residents on the electoral roll can expect a letter to land in their mailboxes in the middle of May, which will tell them how to go about collecting their $50 Narrogin Dollars which will be available for them to spend between 2 June and 31 August only.
Other strategies adopted by the Shire include a rate relief package for businesses forced to close or part close, directly as a result of Commonwealth or State Directives. Those businesses will be written to, inviting them to apply for consideration for full rate relief during the duration of the closures, depending upon how they have been directly affected.
Full details of the Shire’s COVID Relief & Recovery Strategy can be found here.
– Ends –
Further information on this media release may be obtained by contacting President Leigh Ballard or Chief Executive Officer, Dale Stewart, enquiries@narrogin.wa.gov.au or telephone 08 9890 0900.
Letters sent to businesses and electors can be found here.
Memorandum of Understanding between the Chamber of Commerce and Shire of Narrogin can be found here.
Shire President Leigh Ballard with Narrogin Chamber of Commerce Member, Lindsay George.
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