Rodney Stevens
Including funding for Christmas decorations in Clarence Valley Council’s 2024-2025 Operational Plan will be discussed by councillors in February.
As Christmas 2023 approached, social media was filled with comments from locals about whose role it is to organise a Christmas tree and decorations for the more than 40 towns and villages in the Clarence Valley.
As this was a regular question posed to Cr Debrah Novak over the past six years, at the December 19 Clarence Valley Council meeting, as an attempt to establish guidelines for towns and villages looking to light up their CBD, Cr Novak put forward a motion which was seconded by Cr Allison Whaites that council:
- Call for an Expression of Interest (EOI) from interested stakeholders to participate in a focus group to establish a set of guidelines for main street Christmas decorations across the Clarence Valley.
- Call for an Expression of Interest (EOI) from interested stakeholders who would like to officially partner with Clarence Valley Council to fund Christmas decorations across the Clarence Valley.
- Place this matter on CVC’s online discussion portal Clarence Conversations for ideas and feedback till March 2024
- Appoint a Councillor to be the delegate on this focus group.
- Bring this matter back to a Council workshop in April 2024.
- Bring a report back to Council no later than April 2024 General Council meeting.
Cr Novak then confirmed to Cr Jeff Smith that the motion applied to all towns and villages in the valley.
Cr Steve Pickering then asked whether council would have to allocate funds to deliver the Christmas decorations, to which General Manager Laura Black replied, it could be included in the draft Operational Plan for inclusion in the 2024-2025 financial year.
Cr Karen Toms then moved a foreshadowed a motion to: Defer until February 2024 to discuss the possibility of being included in the Operational funding 2024/2025, which was seconded by Cr Whaites.
Cr Bill Day then asked the General Manager “are there not more than 40 towns and villages across the Clarence Valley” and what the current way was that council deals with similar situations when Chambers of Commerce and community groups take on the initiative of providing Christmas decorations.
“Council’s role in Christmas decorations in CBD’s, not in towns and villages so much, has been traffic control, and that’s been provided as in-kind support,” Ms Black said.
“I suppose community groups could apply through council’s donation program to seek funds to do something similar.
“This is actually quite a large project and would probably be more appropriately placed in next year’s Operational Plan.”
Cr Greg Clancy then asked Cr Novak if she had a “ballpark figure” of what the Christmas decorations would cost, to which she replied, “I have no idea”, and to put a figure on the cost she would have to identify where the funding comes from in council’s reserves.
Cr Clancy said he would like to see Chambers of Commerce and community groups approach council for funding with accurate cost estimates, rather than a broad policy with no costings with council as the organiser.
Cr Day said he believed the issue of Christmas decorations should be driven by the community, not council.
Cr Novak’s motion was defeated unanimously, then Cr Tom’s foreshadowed motion was carried six votes to three, with Cr’s Day, Johnstone and Tiley voting against.