A report to be considered by the City of Ballarat Council this month will recommend the implementation of a new COVID Community and Business Support Package.
The report to the 25 August ordinary meeting of Council will recommend giving local businesses, community groups and residents some additional support as they recover from the ongoing impact of lockdowns.
The proposed $1 million grant package will aim to supplement existing funding available from Federal and State Governments, while seeking to also provide support to some of the small businesses and community groups not eligible for financial assistance through other funding programs.
A range of other City of Ballarat measures are recommended to either be introduced or extended to provide additional relief - including waivers of numerous fees and charges, as well as interest on outstanding rates.
Some of the detail of the suggested package is outlined below.
City of Ballarat - DRAFT Community and Business Support Package
- Proposed Community and Business Grants
- Business Support Grants - $500 grant for businesses with a significant reduction in revenue as a result of COVID-19 (eligibility criteria to be developed)
- Community Support Grants - $250 grant for community groups, volunteer groups and sports clubs with a significant reduction in revenue due to COVID-19 (eligibility criteria to be developed)
- Other proposed support and relief measures
- Waiver of interest on outstanding rates for the 2021/22 financial year - in total this is expected to save local businesses and residents $175,000
- Ongoing application of Councils COVID-19 Financial Hardship Policy to support residents and businesses in genuine need of support during the 2021/22 financial year
- Waiver food act registration fees until 30 June 2022 - more than $60,000 of savings to local restaurants, café's and other food service businesses
- Waiver of Public Health and Wellbeing registration fees until 30 June 2022 - $44,000 in savings
- Waiver of outdoor dining permit fees until 30 June 2022 - $30,000 benefit to business
- Waiver of A Frame signage permit fees until 30 June 2022 - $5,000 benefit to business
- Re-establishment of the Business Contact Centre. Our team will engage with local business to assist them to access available federal, state and local funding programs and facilitate the other assistance available
Mayor, Cr Daniel Moloney, said the Council looked forward to further considering the full report and providing further detail following this month's Council meeting.
"I'm often speaking to local business owners and recognise Council has a responsibility to pull every lever we have access to in order to provide support where we can. I've asked Evan to put some options forward to Councillors and look forward to further discussing our approach at the meeting this month," he said.
"I am so proud of the ongoing resilience of our community and local businesses. I'd also like to sincerely thank everyone for continuing to do the right thing which resulted in us getting out of our most recent lockdown a little early."
"However, we understand this has come at a significant cost. Particularly for many of our local businesses who have endured a number of lockdowns in quick succession."
"One of the keys to our ongoing recovery will be the continued strength of our business community. More than 80 per-cent of our working residents are employed locally by our Ballarat businesses, so doing everything we can to support business is ultimately in everyone's best interest."
City of Ballarat CEO, Evan King, said he hoped the package could provide some support to local businesses at a critical time.
"By supporting our local businesses, we also support our wider community. Our research shows that for every $100 spent at a Ballarat-owned business, $68.53 stays in our community. So ultimately, any assistance for our local businesses will also benefit our community more generally," he said.
"We know the State Government had to take the necessary steps to tackle this incredibly infectious variant, and we acknowledge their ongoing support for the community and businesses."
"While we understand there is significant other support available from Federal and State Governments, we wanted to look at additional ways Council may consider supporting the community, particularly some of those who may not be eligible for other funding programs."
