Business – Thumbs up for BID

Firstly, thank you to everyone who chatted to me before the One Warkworth AGM about our Business Improvement District (BID) establishment proposal. We had 31 people vote in favour of the BID proposal by proxy and about 30 people who attended the meeting also supported entering the BID establishment process.

This means the resolution to establish a BID was passed unanimously, and we will now go through the formal steps of establishment, which will include a vote in about March next year. If the vote is in favour of the BID by the required margin, we could have a fully funded business association from July next year.

Thanks to those who came to the AGM. There were some great questions seeking clarification about the BID. One key thing people wanted to know is if a BID will mean businesses have to pay the targeted rate as well as a membership fee to belong to One Warkworth. The answer is “no”. The BID targeted rate replaces the membership fee for all businesses that operate out of commercially-rated properties within Warkworth’s Future Urban Zone. Businesses that do not operate out of a commercially rated property but want the benefits of being a member can pay an associate membership fee to join. But it is essentially one or the other, not both.

There were also questions about how easily the proposed $500 per annum targeted rate could be changed once the BID was established. Our chairman, Chris Murphy, explained the safeguards that are being added to our constitution to ensure any changes go through a rigorous internal process before any change can be considered.

My feeling is that everyone was comfortable with these points of clarification, and there is strong support for the business association forming a BID.

In the meantime though, we have another year of relying heavily on the continued support of sponsors and members to help fund our activities. Thank you so much to everyone who has come on board again this year – without you we would simply cease to exist. This also includes other businesses like Mahurangi Matters, who support us in many other ways.

My last thank you goes to the committee, especially Dave Morrison and Kevin Chappell, who did not seek re-election. The time and effort these folk put in on behalf of the business community is remarkable.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome two new committee members to One Warkworth: Grant Campbell from Carlton Party Hire and Steve Chaning-Pearce from Exit Strategies Ltd. Both bring a wealth of business experience and skills to the committee, and we look forward to having them involved.

Murray Chapman, One Warkworth Manager
www.onewarkworth.co.nz