Darwin council approves $55m financial relief package including deferred rates, fee waivers and a new ‘green army’

DARWIN council will invest up to $55 million into the Darwin economy — including offering free on-street parking — with a stimulus package that will see them defer rates, waive fees and create a ‘green army’ in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Darwin council chief executive Scott Waters says council could spend up to $55 million on the stimulus package. Picture: Keri Megelus

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DARWIN council will invest up to $55 million into the Darwin economy — including offering free on-street parking — with a stimulus package that will see them defer rates, waive fees and create a ‘green army’ in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The package, the largest by any local council in Australia in response to the coronavirus pandemic, will also see them reinvesting their February revenue into vouchers to be used at Darwin businesses, deferring rates and waiving fees and charges until June 30.

Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis launches paying for CBD parking with his council’s app .... Darwin Council has voted to provide free on-street parking, defer rates and waive fees. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford

The package aims to provide wide-ranging economic support to local households and businesses during the COVID-19 response, including:

ALLOCATING more than $1 million for a ‘Green Army’ – providing casual employment opportunities to beautify and green our city through the planting of thousands of trees, tending verges and cleaning footpaths to June 30, 2020;

DEFERRAL of business and household rates to June 30, 2020;

RENT relief for tenants leasing Council properties to June 30, 2020;

EXPANSION of the current rate hardship policy to include ratepayers affected by COVID-19;

WAIVING of all Council permit charges, fees and levies to June 30, 2020 providing

free on street parking in the CBD;

WAIVING of animal registration fees;

WAIVING of advertising signage levies and street food van permit fees;

NIGHT time security patrols in the CBD jointly funded with the Northern Territory Government;

COMMUNITY grant funding opportunities for the not-for-profit sector to June 30 2020 and in the 2020/21 financial year;

FUNDING allocated to major infrastructure projects to commence after the COVID-19 crisis.

Darwin chief executive Scott Waters said the $55 million figure was what the council could afford to spend.

“It is a package up to $55 million, it is made up of concessions we are providing in relation to fees and charges, potential future changes to how we would look at our rating … and capital works that we are putting in place for the future,” he said.

“It does provide flexibility for council in these initial stages … but it is an indicative figure of what council can support.”

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The new green army will also be created, employing about 80 to 100 workers to maintain councils roads and verges while also providing jobs which will see the council re-green Darwin sooner than they initially thought.

“It’s relatively unskilled work, we have equipment, we have PPE … it’s work that’s sorely needed across our entire community,” Mr Waters said.

“We’ll be delivering something the community can see. If you can roll your sleeves up and do some hard work we encourage you to register your interest.”

Rent relief for the council’s commercial properties was also passed in the council’s confidential sitting, and while exact figures remained were not revealed, Mr Waters said it was a “substantial” package.

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Not all packages were supported, however, with alderman Simon Niblock suggesting improving council’s IT programs would help people access services they needed to during times of crisis.

“I don’t think this is the best use of resources at this time,” he said.

“Our website’s not functioning well, we have really poor IT systems supporting elected members and the public as far as finding services go.

“As for injecting cash into businesses in this sort of way, I just don’t think it’s council’s business.”

Originally published as Darwin council approves $55m financial relief package including deferred rates, fee waivers and a new ‘green army’