Agenda of Special Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting

Agenda (Open Portion)

Special Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting

Page 4

3/12/2018

Special Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting (Open Portion) held Monday, 3 December 2018 at 4.30 pm in the Lady Osborne Room, Town Hall.

MEMBERS

Thomas (Chairman)

Zucco

Sexton

Dutta

Ewin

NON-MEMBERS

Lord Mayor Reynolds

Deputy Lord Mayor Burnet

Briscoe

Denison

Harvey

Behrakis

Sherlock

Apologies:

Leave of Absence: Nil.

1. Co-Option of a Committee Member in the event of a vacancy

2. Indications of Pecuniary and Conflicts of Interest

Ref: Part 2, Regulation 8(7) of the Local Government (Meeting Procedures) Regulations 2015.

Members of the committee are requested to indicate where they may have any pecuniary or conflict of interest in respect to any matter appearing on the agenda, or any supplementary item to the agenda, which the committee has resolved to deal with.

3. Transfer of Agenda Items

Regulation 15 of the Local Government (Meeting Procedures) Regulations 2015.

A committee may close a part of a meeting to the public where a matter to be discussed falls within 15(2) of the above regulations.

In the event that the committee transfer an item to the closed portion, the reasons for doing so should be stated.

Are there any items which should be transferred from this agenda to the closed portion of the agenda, or from the closed to the open portion of the agenda?

Item No. 4.1

Agenda (Open Portion)

Special Economic Development & Communications Committee Meeting

Page 6

3/12/2018

REPORT TITLE: Shopfront Improvement Grant

REPORT PROVIDED BY: Associate Director Communications and Marketing

Marketing Coordinator

1. Report Purpose and Community Benefit

1.1. This report seeks approval for the recommendations of the Shopfront Improvement Grant recipients under the 2018-19 City of Hobart Grants Program.

2. Report Summary

2.1. The recommended funding allocations for the first of the twice-yearly rounds of the 2018-19 City of Hobart Grants that opened in August 2018 are shown as Attachment A to this report.

2.2. A total of two eligible applications were received for the grant stream. One project is recommended for full funding with a total value of $3,618.79.

3. Recommendation

That:

1. The Council approve the recommended level of funding to the successful applicant under the 2018-19 City of Hobart Grants Program for the Shopfront Improvement Grant, in accordance with Attachment A to this report.

2. The total value of the recommended project is $3,618.79.

3. The funding for the grants be attributed to the Communications and Marketing budget in the 2018-19 Annual Plan.

4. The total grant provision be recorded in the ‘Grants, Assistance and Benefits Provided’ section of the City of Hobart’s Annual Report.

4. Background

4.1. The Council resolved to implement a marketing grants program for small business at its meeting held on 5 June 2017, and this is the third time the Shopfront Improvement Grant has been offered.

4.2. In the stream of Shopfront Improvement, the 2018-19 funds are made available through two rounds, in August 2018 and February 2019. Applicants can apply for any amount up to $5,000, which they must match dollar for dollar. A total of $24,000 is allocated to the program for the 2018-19 financial year, with $12,000 made available for this first round.

4.3. The marketing grants were advertised on 11 August 2018 in the Mercury newspaper, with the application period closing on 10 September 2018.

4.3.1. The program was promoted through a range of business networks, including to those business owners on marketing distribution lists (in excess of 300 contacts) held by the Communications and Marketing Division.

4.3.2. The information was placed in the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry e-newsletter.

4.3.3. The Department of State Growth promoted the program through the Business Events Tasmania network, including on its social media page and website.

4.3.4. Retail precincts were also contacted, including the North Hobart Retail Association, Salamanca Square Inc, Sandy Bay traders, New Town traders, Lenah Valley traders and Midtown traders.

4.3.5. Facebook advertising was undertaken on the City of Hobart corporate page.

4.4. Grant information is made available on the City of Hobart’s website, which provides online access to the application form, guidelines, and copies of relevant City of Hobart strategies that applications should respond to.

4.5. Two public information sessions were held on 21 August 2018 in the Elizabeth Street Conference Room at 1 pm and 5.30 pm. These were free events to provide detailed information regarding the application process.

Assessment Panels

4.6. An assessment panel for the grant was established comprising of the following people:

· (Chair) Tony Bonney, Community Activation & Grants Coordinator, Community and Culture, City of Hobart

· Trish Stagg, Senior Marketing and Promotions Coordinator, Communications and Marketing, City of Hobart

· Lucy Knott, Economic Development Project Officer, City Economy, Tourism and Events, City of Hobart

· Dr Louise Grimmer, Lecturer in Marketing, Unit Coordinator and Retail Researcher, UTAS.

4.7. Assessors were required to declare a real or perceived conflict of interest for each application during the assessment process. In the event of a conflict of interest, an assessor’s individual score would become the average of the other scores, and the assessor would be required to leave the room/discussion and not participate in the assessment of the application. In this grant round there were no real or perceived conflicts of interest identified.

4.8. Due to a number of absent members and availability, the assessment panel conducted their group assessment online.

Assessment Criteria

4.9. Applications were assessed under the Council policy ‘Applications for Grants - Community and Marketing’, which was approved by Council on 18 June 2018.

4.10. Applications were assessed and scored according to the published criteria, grouped as follows:

(i) Shopfront Improvement

· the project concept

· benefits to the business and surrounding streetscape

· an achievable budget with a minimum of matched funding.

4.11. Points were awarded against all criteria.

4.12. Should Aldermen wish to discuss the merits of any particular application, they are invited to contact the Associate Director Communications and Marketing.

Applications

4.13. There were two applications received for the Shopfront Improvement stream requesting a total amount of $8,618.79. One application is recommended for funding totalling $3,618.79.

4.14. The successful application identified a variety of benefits arising from the project, including the streetscape aesthetic, the business itself, and neighbouring businesses. The recommended project will result in improvements in the city centre.

4.15. Those applications not recommended for funding compared less favourably to the successful applications.

4.16. Any unspent funds in this round would go back into the annual funds available to support applications submitted in the February 2019 round.

5. Proposal and Implementation

5.1. All applications were acknowledged upon receipt, and all applicants will be advised of the Council’s decision and invited to contact staff for feedback on their applications if they wish to do so.

5.2. Each successful applicant will be required to formally accept the City’s assistance by signing an agreement which requires them to:

· agree to the conditions of the assistance

· provide any documentation necessary for compliance under the Goods and Services Tax (GST)

· detail the ways in which it will acknowledge the City’s support

· provide an acquittal within 90 days after the completion of their project.

5.3. The projects recommended for funding from the 2018 round of the Shopfront Improvement Grant are detailed in Attachment A to this report. Brief details of the project, the assistance requested and the assistance recommended are included for each application.

5.4. The projects listed as ‘Not Recommended’ in Attachment A to this report are not recommended for funding. Details of assistance requested is included against each application.

5.5. All awarded grants will be noted in the City of Hobart Annual Report in accordance with the Council’s policy in respect to grants and benefits disclosure.

5.6. Unsuccessful applicants will be advised they can re-apply for future grant rounds.

5.7. Unsuccessful applicants will also be advised they can contact the Community Development Officer - Grants for feedback regarding their application and to obtain assistance in developing their project in order to resubmit an application in a future grant round.

6. Strategic Planning and Policy Considerations

6.1. This item responds to Goals 1 and 4 of the Capital City Strategic Plan 2015-2025, namely:

“Economic Development, Vibrancy and Culture - City growth, vibrancy and culture comes when everyone participates in city life; and

Strong, Safe and Healthy Communities - Our communities are resilient, safe and enjoy healthy lifestyles.”

7. Financial Implications

7.1. Funding Source and Impact on Current Year Operating Result

7.1.1. There is $12,000 allocated to the Shopfront Improvement Grant for each round in the twice-yearly grant rounds, from the Communications and Marketing budget in the 2018-19 Annual Plan.

7.1.2. The total amount of funds recommended for approval through the August 2018 grant round is $3,618.79.

7.2. Impact on Future Years’ Financial Result

7.2.1. There is an ongoing allocation included in the relevant areas of the Annual Plan.

7.3. Asset Related Implications

7.3.1. Not applicable.

8. Legal, Risk and Legislative Considerations

8.1. There are no legal, risk or legislative considerations as part of this report.

9. Environmental Considerations

9.1. Not applicable

10. Social and Customer Considerations

10.1. The Shopfront Improvement Grant is designed to encourage an improved streetscape, providing benefits to the local community, particularly neighbouring businesses.

11. Marketing and Media

11.1. The projects recommended have been selected taking into account the widest community benefit in accordance with the criteria previously endorsed by the Council. The Communications and Marketing team will work with officers and the grant recipients to maximise promotion of the projects, and ensure community recognition of the City’s involvement.

12. Community and Stakeholder Engagement

12.1. The Community Activation & Grants Coordinator, Cultural Development Officer, Senior Marketing & Promotions Coordinator, and the external panel members have been consulted in the preparation of this report.

13. Delegation

13.1. The determination of grants is delegated to the Council.

As signatory to this report, I certify that, pursuant to Section 55(1) of the Local Government Act 1993, I hold no interest, as referred to in Section 49 of the Local Government Act 1993, in matters contained in this report.

Umesh Ratnagobal

Associate Director Communications and Marketing

Samantha Skillern

Marketing Coordinator

Date: 29 November 2018

File Reference: F18/127143

Attachment a: Shopfront Improvement Grants August 2018 ⇩

about people	We value people – our community, our customers and colleagues.
professional	We take pride in our work.
enterprising	We look for ways to create value.
responsive	We’re accessible and focused on service.
inclusive	We respect diversity in people and ideas.
making a difference	We recognise that everything we do shapes Hobart’s future.