The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s Christmas decoration budget has been boosted to $400,000 for the next financial year, after community criticism of last year’s display.
At Monday night’s meeting, councillors voted 6-1 in support of the increased funding for Christmas decorations in the next financial year, and for the responsibility of the festive displays for the next three years to go to public tender.
The report to council noted the city had a “limited number” of suitable Christmas decorations capable of meeting council and community expectations beyond 2025.
“A significant proportion of the city’s current Christmas decorations are approaching, or have reached, the end of their practical service life, resulting in increasing maintenance requirements and limiting their capacity for reuse in future years,” the report stated.
During Monday’s meeting, many councillors around the table agreed the 2025 Christmas display was not up to standard, and community feedback called for better displays in future.
The supported motion will see a public tender go out for the design, hire, installation, monitoring, maintenance, and removal of decoration display over a three-year agreement.
Speaking to the Kalgoorlie Miner on Tuesday, deputy mayor Terrence Winner said there was a “perfect storm” of issues that resulted in the below-average display last year, including upgrades to some posts not allowing usual decorations to be hung in the Boulder and Kalgoorlie CBDs.
As a “big kid himself”, Cr Winner said he was excited to see what innovative opportunities would be presented to “breathe some new life and excitement” into the city’s Christmas displays.
Cr Richard Halse was the only person to speak and vote against the motion on Monday night, expressing concern the tender process would result in $400,000 being handed to a Perth company, as opposed to the local groups and businesses he believed were more than capable of doing a good job.
He also criticised the council for not previously supporting his idea to implement commemorative lighting on the local town halls, and now calling for innovative Christmas suggestions, including audio and visual options.
Cr Winner told the Miner he would encourage all local groups and businesses with ideas for the local Christmas displays to participate in the tender process, even if the ideas did not total $400,000.
“I’d love to see locals apply for that and really come up with some great, innovative ideas to see where we can go,” he said.
“The opportunities are pretty much endless and I’m just really excited to see what comes forward.”
The budget for last year’s Christmas display was $330,000.
The report to the council noted the city was aiming to go to tender by next month.
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