2020-05-12 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                    12 MAY 2020


It is proposed that the Community Disaster Response and Recovery Grants for COVID-19 would
be offered for a single competitive round with applications being received within a two-week
timeframe. Applications will then be reviewed and evaluated by an expert staff panel and then
referred to the CEO for consideration and approval. Approval under delegation will speed up the
allocation of funds.
Applications will be assessed considering the following criteria:
     Value for money
     Demonstrated need for funding
     Benefit to the community
     Engagement of local suppliers where applicable/possible
     Validity of claim
     The amount of funding available

It is anticipated that the assessment would be complete by mid-June and the majority of funding
released by the end of June.

Previous Council Consideration
The following support for the community sector has already been established by the CEO under
delegation by Council. These support mechanisms were reported to Council on the 6 April 2020:

1.    Moratorium on fees, charges or outstanding liabilities from 1 March until June 30 2020 with
      no interest accruing for all not for profit community organisations.
2.    Not for profit community organisations that have temporarily closed or have scaled down
      their not for profit activities can request that Council suspend any unnecessary waste
      collection services and therefore avoid associated costs.
3.    Council will immediately cancel waste services and associated charges if a not for profit
      community ceases to operate. In these circumstances proof of permanent closure will be
      required.
4.    For the Council community grants program, Council will not seek a refund of grants paid for
      any events cancelled prior to June 30 2020 if expenses have been incurred - review on a
      case by case basis. For those events post June 30 2020 where the grant has been claimed
      and only seek a refund on expenses that have not yet occurred if the event has been
      cancelled. For project type grants, Council will provide extensions to those community
      groups that can deliver their project by the end of Dec 2020 (rather than 30 June 2020 as
      per grant agreement)
5.    Council will support volunteer resourcing in Noosa community organisations through
      deployment of Council staff where Council staff are available (because those staff would
      normally be working in Council facilities that have been closed).

Finance
Funding for the 2019/20 Community Grants Program was determined as part of the 2019/20
Budget process. There is $27,000 remaining. The proposal is to allocate this money to the Disaster
Response and Recovery Grants Program for a single round of Quick Response grants.

Risks & Opportunities
To address the economic challenges presented by the pandemic it is necessary for all levels of
Government to do what they can to support our not for profit community organisations. Council has
a unique role to play in these circumstances given our existing relationships with the local
community organisations. These relationships and ‘local knowledge’ allow Council to tailor its
response and ensure any investment is well placed.
While these interim measures are not a complete solution, it is prudent for Council to implement
funding measures to meet immediate essential needs. Our community organisations need to

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