Council agree with recommendation to adopt further stimulus measures

The decision was made at last month's ordinary council meeting, where a report about the cost of COVID-19 was on the agenda.

The report recommended two additional COVID-19 stimulus measures, one being a 50 per cent reduction in the parks playing fields maintenance charges for winter sports.

This will result in a loss of revenue of $29,389.

The other measure proposed and adopted was a 25 per cent reduction in both the outdoor dining fee and the footpath obstruction licence fee, which would result in a loss of revenue of $9875.

Pursuing these stimulus measures increased the financial impact of the pandemic on council, with the total losses in the September quarter alone calculated as approximately $524,000.

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Council-run cultural and entertainment facilities were the major contributor, with $170,000 lost just from the closure of the museums, while Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (BMEC) lost $110,000.

Council will be able to cover the losses in the September quarter, as senior staff identified variations to the budget that would total $524,000.

Part of the resolution at the September meeting was to adopt the variations outlined in the report.

Reductions and savings identified in each council department were:

Councillor Jess Jennings said it was "unfortunate" to see the impact the pandemic has had on the community.

"I just wanted to make it known, I guess, what a shame it is to see this level of financial impact on items which directly impact and ripple through the community, things like events like the Panorama Punish, civic functions, the Macquarie Medal - which was doing well to build our reputation on the national stage for heritage - community programs for the railway museum, temporary exhibitions," he said.

"All those sorts of things really hurt our community and our connectedness, and it's really unfortunate that this has had to come to pass."

Additional reports about the cost of COVID are expected to continue being written as further impacts are identified.

The cost of COVID in the 2020-21 financial year was more than $5.6 million, following on from a $722,359 impact in 2019-20.

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