By Lachlan Ellis<\/p>\n
This financial year\u2019s jump in footpath trading fees shocked some Moorabool shopkeepers, but Council is taking steps to fix the issue.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, an email went out to local business owners and Chambers of Commerce, in which Council stated it \u201cwill undertake a further review of the fee structure which will include a consultation process\u201d, and \u201cfees for footpath trading for this financial year will be waived\u201d.<\/p>\n
The fee is paid to Council for permits for businesses to put items out on the footpath, such as displays and tables.<\/p>\n
Ros Gatt, who spoke to the Moorabool News in September about a jump of over $2,000 in the fees at Ballan\u2019s Zest Caf\u00e9, said the move to engage with businesses was welcome news.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pretty happy with that outcome, we just have to wait and see what happens with that consultation. Maybe that\u2019ll happen after Christmas, let\u2019s hope the result is something that\u2019s fair and reasonable for all traders,\u201d Ms Gatt told the Moorabool News.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack near the $500 fees we used to pay would be fair. It was a massive increase, not quite five times\u2026I didn\u2019t understand why it needed to increase that much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Gatt is cautiously optimistic about the review, and hopes Council will do more to engage with busy business owners during the consultation period.<\/p>\n
\u201cFace-to-face consultation with everyone is difficult, I know\u2026but this is what started the whole issue in the first place, Council said \u2018surely you received correspondence from us [about the increased footpath trading fees]\u2019, well no, we didn\u2019t,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe they put something on their webpage, but I\u2019m not monitoring what\u2019s going on at the Shire all the time. As a business owner, you\u2019ve got a million things to worry about, and that\u2019s sort of not one of them. You\u2019re relying on them to send you your bill, rates, and all those things.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lachlan Ellis This financial year\u2019s jump in footpath trading fees shocked some Moorabool shopkeepers, but Council is taking steps to fix the issue. Earlier this month, an email went out to local business owners and Chambers of Commerce, in which Council stated it \u201cwill undertake a further review of the fee structure which will […]<\/p>\n