Hilltops Council has received a report recommending the allocation of $2,178 (inclusive of GST) from the Community Discretionary Fund (Resolution 25/238) to the Boorowa Business Chamber to advertise events relating to their 2025 Christmas Carols in the Park and Christmas Spending Spree Giveaway.

The recommendation follows a motion put forward by Councillor Blackwell at the September 2025 Ordinary Council Meeting to allocate $2,178 from the Community Discretionary Fund for the Boorowa Business Chamber to advertise events relating to their 2025 Christmas Carols in the Park and Christmas Spending Spree Giveaway. Following debate, councillors asked that a report be brought back to Council to consider a Hilltops wide approach to funding Christmas events and to outline previous funding allocations.

The report notes that the Boorowa Business Chamber has been organising and running Boorowa’s Christmas events for a number of years including Carols in the Park, a Christmas light competition, and the Spending Spree Giveaway.

The events bring the community together around Christmas for a family friendly evening of entertainment and connection.

also encourage people to support their local businesses in town, and to decorate their homes and shops. These events are a great initiative organised and led by the community, for the community.

Hilltops Council has in the past helped sponsor the event, including for advertising, and some sponsorship of the prize for the giveaway.

Council has also helped with organisational support, including bins and some lighting.

Strong advertising is highlighted in the report as important to ensure maximum exposure and community engagement for Carols in the Park, and to generate high shopping traffic for the Christmas Spending Spree and more economic activity in town.

The report records past financial support: Council provided funding to the Hilltops Christmas Spending Spree of $5,000 for each of 2020–2021 and 2021–2022.

An application for sponsorship was received in 2022–23 and was unsuccessful.

Feedback from the Financial Assistance and Sponsorship Committee at that time was that the Spending Spree model should be aimed at becoming self sufficient.

The Hilltops Christmas Spending Spree was a collaborative initiative between the Boorowa Business Chamber, Harden Regional Development Corporation, and Young Business Network, to promote local business and encourage local spending.

Each entity has since promoted their own local Christmas shopping promotion.

Other Christmas related funding to note is a successful application from Trinity Catholic Primary School, Murrumburrah, for the Financial Assistance and Sponsorship Program of $1,250 in 2022–23 for community Christmas carols.

Councillors debated how any Hilltops wide allocation would be distributed and whether other towns or organisations should receive a share. Councillor Mary Dodd asked: “How is the money going to be allocated, is it 50% to Rotary and 50% to HRDC and what about Young, is that going to go to the Combined Churches who run the event?” She also asked, “Willl the combined churches get that funding if they run those events?”

Mayor Brian Ingram replied to Councillor Dodd, “not at the moments, unless you put an amendment forward for that.” He added, “There is nothing on the books to state that.”

Councillor Joanne Mackay questioned how community members were actively seeking funding, expressing that she feels there aren’t as many community people reaching out to council directly. “Where are these community clubs actually asking? Letter-wise, or for instance did someone contact (a councillor directly),” she asked.

“And i wonder too in a big centre like Young, where are the people actually looking for this money? Do we just offer the money or wait for someone to come forward?”

Sarah Kariatana, Director of Corporate and Community, advised councillors that the financial assistance and sponsorship program is currently open and closes at the end of the month, so the council would not be able to see what applications had been received until after that closing date."

She told the chamber, “our financial assistance and sponsorship program is currently open, that closes at the end of the month, so we wouldn’t be able to see what application we have until after that closes, so they (organisations from young) may have applied.”

Deputy Mayor Tony Flannery supported the idea of a council wide initiative, saying, “Council did run a spending spree each year but it got canned by a previous council, and if we were to run this council wide, it would be a great initiative.”

After debate the motion was carried with seven for — councillors Foreman, Davis, Makcay, Douglas, Blackwell with the addition of Mayor Ingram and Deputy Mayor Flannery — and two against, councillors Gallo and Dodd.

The report also notes that the Financial Assistance and Sponsorship Program is currently open for applications, closing 31 October 2025. Council will be able to consider any formal applications received through that program as part of the normal assessment process.