The design of two possible alternate logos for Wangaratta was not a waste of money, according to deputy mayor Dave Fuller.
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Speaking on Wednesday following the previous night's meeting, Cr Fuller said the design process cost $18,000 plus the time of staff who were involved in the marketing and consultation process.
He had told the meeting that Wangaratta was now known for putting a negative spin on things, but was more positive himself on Wednesday.
"We can always do different things differently in terms of the spend, but what we've done is we've put this money aside for this purpose of selling this council, so we'd like to be able to get on with the process," he said.
The cost was part of $139,500 to develop the branding strategy and $1.1 million for a marketing campaign that will continue with the current logo.
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Cr Mark Currie told Tuesday's meeting the vote against a new logo showed councillors were not willing to move forward, and he apologised to the staff who had been involved in the process.
"I apologise that we are now stepping away from all of that work you guys have done. Thank you because it has been countless hours and I think it's taken a personal toll on some of the staff members," he said.
"One of the key reasons I wanted to see a change is that in the past, the council had a constant bad rap ... We really wanted to show the community and people afar that we're progressive."
Councillors at Tuesday's meeting also voted to award a contract to Melbourne-based company Excell Gray Bruni for $6.04 million for the reconstruction of Wangaratta's railway precinct, including a $2.5 million government grant.
It will involve improving the station entrance and creating pedestrian spaces and pathways on Docker, Norton and Cusack streets.
"Once the trains are fixed, we'll be able to really sell ourselves as a place to really welcome many visitors," Cr Fuller said.
"One of the things I'm really excited about personally is the area around the cenotaph ... around making that a much more respectful and remembrance place for our victims of war."
Work expected to begin in the new year and take about 12 months.