29 May 2020
Following the announcement of the Southern Downs Regional Council’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Package at a Special Meeting on Friday 15 May 2020, Councillors committed to detailing the budget implications of the assistance package, to help residents understand the full scope of the package.
Council understands that the community is interested to know how this will affect the long term budget and the continued delivery of services and projects to the region. Just as every household has a budget; Council also needs to prepare a balanced budget for the upcoming financial year.
The provision of the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Package has meant that Council has chosen to waive (forego) some revenue streams in the pursuit of providing financial relief and supporting the community. The package also supports ratepayers and businesses by extending payment terms and suspending debt and fees which would normally be applied.
For businesses in particularly hard-hit industries, such as tourism, Council has chosen to forgo revenue that would have been derived from the application of certain fees or charges for a twelve month period so as not to further burden the community.
Council is not in a financial year to elect to waive all fees and charges and needs to find the right balance of being strategic with the finances and empathic to the needs of the community. Council has committed to engaging with the community to better understand what other forms of assistance might be needed; the recovery hubs and survey form are available for people to share their views.
Breaking down the benefits of the package:
• Supporting our local food businesses to the value of $115k by waiving the annual licensing fees that are due now for the 2020/21 year. Council has issued renewal notices and advised those existing customers that no fee will be applied for this year.
• Supporting those who are suffering financial hardship by waiving interest on overdue rates. This is a forfeiture of Council revenue to the value of approximately $12.5k per month.
• Extending the discount period to the end of the financial year for the recent water levies. Although only a matter of days, this extension aligns the dates with other extended timeframes.
• Moratorium on the application of the Invasive Pest Scheme levy for the 2020/21 year amounts to a loss of finances for Council of approximately $125k.
• Supporting rental accommodation and caravan park operators by waiving their annual licence fees to the value of approximately $70k.
• Encouraging development by reducing assessment fees by 50% and forging projected revenue. This applies to new applications, extensions to existing applications and operational works applications fees for 2020/21.
• Encouraging future events post COVID-19 by waiving temporary entertainment event permit fees, which will save groups between $191 to $1,325 per event.
• Refocusing funds allocated to Community Grants Program to support community groups impacted by COVID.
The second wave of the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Package will be considered in the coming months by Council.
Residents and businesses affected by COVID-19 are encouraged to share recovery ideas with Councillors and Recovery Subgroups at Council’s Recovery Hub Centres in Warwick and Stanthorpe. As social distancing guidelines apply, appointments are required at the hubs. Please call 1300 697 372 or emailing edu@sdrc.qld.gov.au to schedule your visit.