2020-07-10 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                                   10 JULY 2020


MOTION 12

That pursuant to section 257 of the Local Government Act 2009 Council delegates to the Chief
Executive Officer its powers under section 81 of the Local Government Regulation 2012 to identify
the differential rating category into which each parcel of rateable land in the Council’s local
government area is included by using relevant information from the Council’s land record and any
other information which identifies the use of rateable land.

MOTION 13

That it be recorded that in each case where a preceding Motion refers to a matter set out in the
Revenue Statement contained in the Noosa Council 2020/21 Budget document (provided as
Attachment 1 to the Special Meeting report dated 10 July 2020), that matter is incorporated by
reference into, and forms part of the terms and content of the motion, and will be so incorporated
and form part of the terms and content of Council’s resolution to adopt the motion.




REPORT
1   Background

In accordance with sections 104 and 107A of the Local Government Act 2009 and section 170 of
the Local Government Regulation 2012, Council is required to adopt, for each financial year, after
31 May before the financial year and before 1 August in the financial year, a budget and revenue
statement.

The budget document provided for consideration and adoption includes:
    Budget Financial Statements including Long Term Financial Forecast;
    Rates and Charges Comparison;
    Relevant Measures of Financial Sustainability;
    Schedule of Levies and Separate Charges;
    Capital Program;
    Revenue Policy; and
    Revenue Statement.

2     COVID-19 Impacts and Financial Recovery Planning

The development of the 2020/21 budget has been challenging within the context of the COVID-19
pandemic and its impact on business as usual Council operations. Social distancing measures
introduced in March 2020 and the ongoing uncertainty regarding the timing of the easing of these
restrictions has required the application of a number of conservative revenue and expenditure
assumptions to the development of the budget, to ensure that immediate going concern risks could
be appropriately considered and Council financial sustainability maintained.

The application of these assumptions has resulted in an overall COVID-19 specific financial impact
of $3.2 million, primarily relating to the gradual relaxing of social distancing restrictions in addition
to the flow on impacts of a likely prolonged economic recovery for the shire. In order to mitigate
the financial risk of the COVID-19 budget impacts for ratepayers, a further review of discretionary
expenditure has resulted in reductions of $2 million, with the net remaining financial impact of
COVID-19 forecast at $1.2 million for 2020/21.




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