City suspends rate bill in some cases due to COVID-19

MUNICIPAL rates for people experiencing in hardship as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic will be suspended until the end of June under a new plan by the City of Ballarat.

In a video from mayor Cr Ben Taylor released today he said the move was in response to feedback from the community.

“We’re hearing a lot of calls from people having a lot of trouble and a lot of hardship at this stage with COVID-19,” he said in the video.

“What we want to do is provide some assistance for people who have got that hardship.

“What we’re doing is the rate notices that are coming out now, we’re going to put a suspension on those rate notices until the 30th of June for those people who are in hardship at the moment.”

The final round of rates notices for people who were paying in quarterly installments are due to be issues now.

Interest that would be applied to unpaid rates will also be suspended for the time being.

In the video Cr Taylor called on higher levels of government to provide

“As a council we’re working together to even come up with other solutions to help with rates across the city, but we need help to do that,” he said.

“We need the State government to assist us with that, and I have written to the state local government minister to ask for that assistance as we go through this time.”

Do discuss deferring rate payments and other issues Cr Taylor said the city’s phone lines were open and would operate through the weekend between 8.15 and 5pm on 5320 5500.