Bayside Council is expected to adopt its COVID-19 Financial Relief Package this week to support Bayside residents and businesses experiencing hardship during the current COVID-19 lockdown.
The proposed COVID-19 Financial Relief Measures, to be funded by Bayside Council include:
- Zero percentage rate on overdue rates and annual charges from 1 July, 2021 to 31 December, 2021 with reinstatement of the interest rate on overdue rates and annual charges to be set at six per cent from 1 January, 2022.
- No interest to accrue on late payments of rates. If ratepayers pay rates in full by 30 June, 2022, then any interest accrued between January to 20 June, 2022 will be waived.
- Cease formal legal recovery proceedings on rates and sundry charges from 1 July to 31 December, 2022.
- Full rental waiver for (council) commercial tenants who are unable to operate their businesses because of current COVID-19 restrictions, proving that the equivalent rental relief is passed on to any sub-tenancies.
- Full rental waiver for commercial tenants who are unable due to current COVID-19 restrictions until 31 December, 2021 or when public health orders allow businesses to return to normal operations.
- Full rental waiver for Community tenants from 1 July to 31 December, 2021 for use of Bayside Council facilities.
- Ground hire fees to be waived or refunded if already paid for all Bayside community sporting clubs with seasonal bookings 1July to 30 October, 2021.
- Increasing the budget for the council's Community Grants and Donations program by $100,000 and fast training the distribution of the grants to affected community groups.
Fees and charges to be waived are: outdoor dining license and footway trading; Library overdue fees; workzone permit fees; DA fees for residential applications with development value less than $100,000.
The estimated cost of the current COVID-19 restrictions on the council's 2021-22 budget is estimated to be approximately $3.6 million.
Forecast estimates of the cost to council are:
- Closure of parks and sports fields, $500,000;
- Waiver of commercial and community rentals and leases $1.6 million;
- Waiver of interest on overdue rates and charges $100,000;
- Waiver of gap fees for child care $600,000;
- Impact of fee waivers for footpath trading, outdoor licenses, workzone permits $230,000;
- Increased budget for community grants programs $50,000.
Community rants will be funded from a review of the council's Events Program.
The council's report on its its COVID-19 Financial Relief Package sums up:
"In approving the recommendations council just balance the need to provide ongoing support to the community who are impacted b COVID-19 lockdowns with the need to exercise prudent financial management as the duration and severity of this outbreak is unknown and may have long-lasting impacts on council's financial sustainability."
