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Stimulus fund possibilities By Sue Newman
sue.n@theguardian.co.nz
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Good ideas are made to share, and Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown is keen to get the lowdown on a package developed by the Timaru District Council to kickstart projects in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The southern council has earmarked $2 million from its general reserves as a stimulus fund to part-fund projects that would have social, cultural or economic benefits in the months ahead. While Timaru has yet to hammer out
the details around what would and what would not qualify for a share of the fund, councillors agreed the money would be better spent on helping a smaller number of significant projects with a sense of scale and with impact. They decided the likely target projects and events should be of sufficient scale and size to provide a real difference in the community and that private or community co-funding should be part of the package. The idea was not something the Ashburton District Council had considered, Brown said, but added he was keen
to talk to Timaru Mayor Nigel Bowen about the idea and how it could be developed and funded. Timaru has built the stimulus fund into its annual plan for next year, which will shortly go out for community consultation. Ashburton has completed its annual plan and because it closely mirrored its long-term plan, did not intend to put the document out for consultation. However, the stimulus fund idea was something that was worth thinking about and something the council could have a look at, Brown said.
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