Stirling to deliver Stimulus package

08 April 2020

Stirling Council last night agreed to develop and implement a comprehensive Economic Stimulus and Community Recovery Package to assist households, businesses, community organisations and employees as part of the City’s broader COVID-19 Response and Recovery Plan.

Mayor Mark Irwin said while the City had already invested in immediate relief measures, the package was vital to ensure the long-term social and economic future of the City as it responds and recovers from the COVID-19 crisis in a sustainable way.

“As the largest and one of the most diverse local governments in Western Australia, it is essential that we directly support the community alongside the State and Federal Government by doing all we can to assist households, businesses and clubs, vulnerable communities and our staff,” Mayor Irwin said.

“We know people are hurting and businesses are doing it tough. As part of our immediate response, the City has implemented a range of initiatives conservatively valued at $2.1 million over the past few weeks and ensuring there is no increase to rates will be the starting point for Council’s ongoing budget discussions.”

“Some of the actions we’ve taken include setting up small business and community services hotlines, waiving verge permits and reducing verge bonds, issuing cautions rather than infringements, and increasing our Meals on Wheels capabilities. This stimulus package will build on these actions to provide whole-of-community relief and assistance, now and into the recovery phase.”

To immediately take the pressure off the City’s commercial tenancies and clubs a $500,000 Tenancy Relief Action Plan has been approved. The Plan includes a 12-month rent-free period for community, social, cultural and sporting clubs, as well suspension of rent reviews, rent abatements and/or deferrals, release of bank guarantees or tenancy bonds, and early termination options on City properties.

“While we continue to work on a sustainable, considered plan to support our community and ratepayers over the coming months and years, the Tenancy Relief Action Plan will provide immediate relief for a range of tenants who lease land or property from the City of Stirling,” Mayor Irwin said.

It is anticipated that the City’s multi-million dollar Economic Stimulus and Community Recovery Package will include a comprehensive range of initiatives, such as:

Households

  • Freeze municipal rates, including security and waste charges, through the 2020/21 budget
  • Freeze all municipal service fees and charges through the 2020/21 budget
  • Waive interest on all outstanding household municipal rates, suspend any debt collection activities and prepare a new range of payment options for households experiencing hardship
  • Allow for flexible payments by removing instalment, interest and penalty fees for households experiencing hardship
  • Implement the Relationship Management System (RMS) with a specific focus on services that allow households to transact/interact with the City online.

Businesses

  • Freeze commercial rates through the 2020/21 budget and consider options to provide a rates rebate
  • Freeze all municipal service fees and charges through the 2020/21 budget and consider options to reduce/waive food business inspection fees, various permit fees and application fees (where possible)
  • Prepare and implement a program of shovel-ready capital projects supplemented by local business friendly procurement practices to boost the economy
  • Prepare and implement an accelerated asset maintenance works program supplemented by local business friendly procurement practices to boost the economy
  • Fast track implementation of the 32 specific actions within the City’s Small Business Friendly Approvals Project Action Plan
  • Implement the Relationship Management System (RMS) with a specific focus on services that make it easier for businesses transact/interact with the City online
  • Increase investment in business support and economic development to directly support the recovery of local businesses in the short to medium term
  • Increase investment in place activation and major event attraction to generate economic activity and support the recovery of local businesses within key activity centres.

Community

  • Defer non-essential projects in the 2019/20 and draft 2020/21 budgets to enable redirection of funds to support community needs
  • Establish and implement a COVID-19 Community Group Assistance Fund to enable community groups and sporting clubs to reactivate
  • Establish a COVID-19 Community Creativity Fund to enable the emergence of cultural and creative industries
  • Reduce or remove lease/license fees for community sporting clubs and consider options to provide a utilities rebate
  • Provide high-risk sporting clubs with direct governance, management and planning support to ensure long term sustainability
  • Reduce or remove access fees and charges through the 2020/21 budget to reactivate City facilities, parks and reserves
  • Expand the Meals on Wheels service to enable broader provision for those in need particularly the vulnerable in our community.

Workforce

  • Redeploy City employees from affected facilities and services to areas where community demand has increased or to temporarily fill roles vacated by volunteers
  • Establish partnerships with locally based community service providers, particularly those reliant upon volunteers and focused upon the vulnerable within our community, to provide further redeployment opportunities for City employees.

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