Former Maribyrnong mayor Pradeep Tiwari has expressed disappointment at council’s response to his proposal to attract businesses back to the Footscray CBD.
In his last meeting as mayor on 18 November, Cr Tiwari moved a motion containing incentives aimed at attracting and supporting new businesses and filling empty shop fronts.
The motion, which was supported unanimously, proposed a nine-month pilot period for incentives such as waiving council fees for new businesses and providing them with a 30-day business concierge service, and asked council officers to prepare a report on the proposal for the following meeting in December.
At the December meeting on Tuesday, council officers requested the pilot-program be delayed, arguing design, legislative and operational constraints meant more time was needed to assess the proposal.
They instead requested time to work on a refined version to be presented to council early next year.
Speaking via video link from overseas, Cr Tiwari said while he understood the challenges of implementing a pilot program so quickly, the Footscray CBD required urgent action.
“I remained very concerned about the here and now for existing traders and new operators,” he said, adding that the Christmas and New Year period was often when businesses decided to continue trading or close and that another report on the proposal would arrive too late.
“In practical terms this report might come back in February or beyond and if supported, may not be implemented to March, April or further.”
Cr Bernadette Thomas said the officer recommendation that more time be spent assessing the business incentive pilot was a good one and that such proposals were better off being introduced as part of the council plan or budget process.
“Creating policy on the run can create unforeseen challenges for council and the community,” she said.
Cr Susan Yengi said in the meantime, business owners in the Footscray CBD and elsewhere in Maribyrnong, should contact council, their local ward representative or local traders association if they were experiencing difficulty.
Councillors voted in favour of delaying the proposal.
