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The One Mahurangi Business Association held a lacklustre annual meeting at the Bridgehouse on September 28.
Just 24 people attended and among those absent were half the association’s committee, some of whom had not even submitted apologies.
In a statement after the meeting, manager Murray Chapman said the turnout “tends to be a bit lower unless there’s a controversial topic at hand”.
“Nonetheless, it was great to see an engaged and interested audience,” he said.
It was reported at the meeting that the association made a loss of just over $41,000 last year. This compares to being in the black at the end of the previous financial year to the tune of $22,333.
However, that positive result was only as a result of receiving covid assistance.
Interim treasurer Jennifer Smith said after the meeting that although the situation was far from dire, it did signal that the association needed to stick to its budget this year and keep a close eye on spending.
The association gets the lion share of its funding from the compulsory Business Improvement District (BID) rate, which is set at $500 for every property/business in the BID area. Last year, the rate brought in $142,000, up from $135,000 the previous year.
Asked at the meeting if the BID rate needed to be reviewed, in light of this year’s loss, co-chair Bevan Morrison said the financials demonstrated just how tight the association’s budget was, but raising the BID rate would need support from 70 per cent of the business community. He indicated that that would be a challenge.
“The only way for us to grow will be organically, through growth [in the number of businesses in the BID area] or sponsorships,” he said.
Sponsorship was the other main contributor to funding, worth $38,504 this year, down from $44,039 in the previous year.
The biggest expense was wages and administration, which totalled just under $195,000, up from $169,854 the previous year.
Co-chairs Morrison and Dave Stott reflected on a busy year, where the association had devoted a lot of time and energy to advocacy, particularly with Auckland Transport and Auckland Council, over infrastructure issues associated with the town’s growth. They were hoping to announce a positive outcome on the Hill Street design soon.
The association will hold two late night shopping nights in December and the Warkworth Santa Parade will be held on Sunday, December 3, from 11am.
Elected to the committee were:
Morrison, Stott, Smith, Patrick Steuart, Mark Macky, Burnette O’Connor, Matt Henderson, Chris Murphy, Colin Barlow, Donna Wyllie, Steve Reynolds, Sally Peters, Louise Riddle, Bruce Tomlison, Duncan Standly and Simone Liley.
