Launceston City Council passes $8.5 relief package

Businesses are set to benefit from a council’s $8.5 million recovery package, with rates waived for six months among a range of relief measures.

LAUNCESTON City Council has unanimously approved its $8.5 million coronavirus Community Care and Recovery package.

The package is now available and will see eligible Launceston businesses pay no rates for six months to support the city’s commercial sector.

Councillors logged in to their first virtual council meeting via video conferencing due to increased restrictions on gatherings.

Members of the public submitted questions by email and listened live online.

The package includes a six-month rates remission for eligible businesses, rental relief for council owned facilities, a $700,000 business grants package, a new Rates Hardship Policy, $465,000 in fee relief for businesses, events and sponsorship relief and community assistance initiatives including for the vulnerable.

Council will bring forward $40 million in capital works projects with $20 million of that to be delivered between July this year and April 2021 and rates will not increase in 2020-21.

The $700,000 business grants pool will support innovation for businesses and community groups adapting to new online markets.

MOTION FOR CORONAVIRUS CARE PLAN APPROVED

Mayor Albert van Zetten said struggling householders who had lost their jobs had been asking him what was in the package for them.

“That’s where I want to stress now the rates charges hardship policy,” he said.

“That is where people like that will … have the ability to write in with their facts and figures, show us their income has dropped, and then the rates can either be reduced to zero for a period of time, or a relief or a deferment of payment.”

DETAILS OF $8.5 MILLION RECOVERY PACKAGE REVEALED

City of Launceston council will release the full details of its draft proposed Community Care and Recovery Package on Monday. Picture: PATRICK GEE

Councillor Andrea Dawkins said the Real Estate Institute of Australia had called on councils “to do exactly what we are doing now”.

“To me that really brought it home because so few councils have been able to be swift enough to bring a package like this to their community,” she said.

Council also carried a motion to suspend the requirement for fortnightly council meetings.

BURNIE CITY COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER WAIVING RATES

The next council meeting will now be “as determined” and Ald van Zetten said the motion allowed council to be flexible in responding to unfolding circumstances.

Aldermen Tim Walker and Alan Harris voted against the motion.

Ald Walker said it had been deemed appropriate that council meet fortnightly and councillors had to do their job like everyone else in the community.

The next council meeting is likely to be held on May 14 unless a majority of seven councillors vote to meet sooner.

Ald Walker said the idea that council might not meet for another six weeks was concerning.

Ald van Zetten said it had been made clear that the next meeting would be “as determined”.

“If any councillor has an issue that is burning and another seven councillors agree, we would hold a meeting within the required time,” he said.