Anthony Koutoufides’s coffee pledge may cost Town Hall up to $1m

Lord mayoral candidate Anthony Koutoufides’s promise to shout workers a Monday morning coffee for at least a month if he’s elected to the city’s top job may cost ratepayers up to $1m.

It could be the $1m coffee round.

Lord mayoral candidate Anthony Koutoufides’s pledge to treat city workers to a morning coffee could cost Town Hall up to $1m over the one-month trial period.

The Herald Sun on Wednesday revealed the Carlton champion’s plan to shout workers a Monday morning coffee for at least a month, if he is elected to the city’s top job in October.

Team Kouta on Thursday released further details about the plan to lure more people back into Melbourne’s CBD, saying they estimated that no more than 40,000 to 50,000 free coffees would be redeemed in a day, taking into account foot traffic and hospitality data.

If elected, the team would only cover the cost of a regular-sized coffee – sorry, no jumbo lattes – which they say would cost about $5 on average.

It means the plan could cost ratepayers about $1m over the month of the trial, if enough Melburnians take Kouta up on his offer, to be paid out of the council’s $780m budget.

Team Kouta on Thursday released further details about his plan to shout workers a Monday morning coffee for at least a month. Picture: Wayne Taylor

It’s the latest sweetener to voters after Lord Mayor Nick Reece promised $2 pool entry and fellow lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood as well as Mr Reece vowed to freeze rates, among a range of cost-of-living measures.

But all these pledges will put a strain on cash-strapped Town Hall, which has a relatively skinny $101,000 surplus.

Koutoufides knows that not every cafe in the City of Melbourne will put their hand up to take part in the scheme, but those who do will need to register with the council.

The team are exploring options that could see citygoers scanning a QR code at a participating cafe to claim their coffee voucher.

The venue would then hit up Town Hall to let them know how many coffee vouchers they redeemed – and how much they are owed.

But Team Kouta is not exclusive, revealing that even 7/11 franchises in the City of Melbourne would be welcome to join the trial period.

And Melburnians who have ditched full cream milk are covered, with lord mayor Kouta happy to cover the cost of their soy, almond, oat or lactose-free milk.