FRANKSTON Council will consider extending many of its COVID-19 relief initiatives.
At their August meeting councillors agreed to order a report which will assess “the feasibility of extending support and options to ratepayers who are experiencing financial hardship”. That report is due back in September.
In principle, councillors supported not raising penalty interest on overdue rates payments and suspending legal costs relating to debt recovery action until 30 June 2021. They had previously resolved to put those measures on hold until the end of September this year.
Council also agreed to prepare a second report, due back in February 2021, which will consider the financial impact of extending applications for their one-off $200 rate waiver for residents receiving the JobSeeker Payment into the 2021/2022 financial year.
The February report will also consider further relief measures which could be introduced or extended into the 2021/2022 financial year. They include removing the differential rate applied to all commercial and industrial properties, putting a freeze on council rates, waiving all food business registration fee renewals, and placing a hold of penalty interest on overdue rates and any dishonour fees incurred if a ratepayer defaults on direct debit payments.
Other measures the report will evaluate for the upcoming financial year include waiving fees for not-for-profit organisations hiring or leasing council facilities, and waiving fees for businesses that pay a-frame and general advertising signage fees.
All councillors voted in favour of ordering the reports, with the exception of Cr Michael O’Reilly.
In May, Frankston Council approved a support package worth over $6 million for residents to deal with the financial fallout from COVID-19 (“Expanded virus relief package approved”, The Times, 18/5/20). A second wave of coronavirus cases has thrown local businesses into even more turmoil since the announcement of that package.
