Rates Relief Continues in Moreton Bay
Published 16 September 2020
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a resident or a business, all ratepayers in the Moreton Bay Council region are eligible to apply to enter an interest-free rates repayment plan right now.
Today Mayor Peter Flannery announced this relaxation in the rules will be extended.
“Initially this offer was scheduled to end on 30 September 2020, but now we’re extending that through to 31 March 2021,” he said.
“So I encourage anyone experiencing financial difficulties to apply to enter a rates payment plan, the CEO is considers these on a case-by-case basis with a prompt turnaround.
“We’re also not charging any interest on overdue rates right now and we’ve given $200 rates rebate to every homeowner on JobSeeker to help them through these tough times.
“In fact Moreton Bay Regional Council has rolled out $33 million worth of stimulus initiatives to support locals and our economy.
“That’s included an incredible 480% increase in the amount of grants we’ve given to community clubs and sporting organisations to help them maintain their infrastructure and cope through the loss of revenues during forced venue closures.
“To keep our economy ticking we’ve fast-tracked $23 million in capital works, brought forward $26 million in road resurfacing and made $4 million in maintenance work available via tender for local contractors.
“To help the 8,800 part-pensioners in our region with their rates we introduced a new $100 rates remission in Council’s 2020-21 budget, in addition to the $250 remission that’s paid to 16,900 full pensioners each year.
“We’re building our way back to economic success with a $220 million capital works program in this year’s Budget.
“This will provide $143 million for roads and transport, $57.8 million for parks, $49 million for sport and recreation, $19.3 million for our cultural sector and $18.4 million to protecting our waterways and coastal areas.
“Spending in all these areas is up on last year and estimated to support 3,000 jobs, on top of the 100 roles we’re currently in the process hiring here at council to directly employ more locals and provide you with a better standard of service.
“The coronavirus pandemic has been hard on everyone but this pandemic hasn’t peaked yet, so it’s absolutely essential that we all stay in this together.”