COVID-19: Bylaw, budgets, and business supports

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

Editor's Note -- Written by Bob Simpson, the Mayor of Quesnel.  He can be reached via email here

As everyone should know by now, it appears as though it will be a long road back to some form of new normal. By all indications, we won’t be enjoying mass gatherings anytime soon nor will we be back to “business as usual” for the foreseeable future.

The local consequence of this new reality is that summer events like Billy Barker Days and the Quesnel Rodeo have been cancelled and we can expect that all mass gatherings will be prohibited throughout the summer and potentially into the fall.

With this in mind, Quesnel City Council wants to remind everyone that our playgrounds and outdoor sports amenities remain closed and while our parks are not officially closed, social distancing rules still apply. Our bylaw enforcement officers continue to educate the public about these public health rules and continue to assist both residents and businesses to comply with all public health orders.

If and when social distancing rules are relaxed, the City will do its best to inform the public and our Bylaw Officers will work with our business community to ensure they can quickly comply with any new social distancing requirements that may be required before designated businesses can reopen.

Last Thursday, the provincial government provided municipalities with the flexibility they needed to adjust their property tax collection timeline in light of the economic impacts of social distancing.

As a consequence, Quesnel City Council made the decision to defer property tax collection to September 30 from the normal due date of July 2. This deferral applies to all tax classes (residential, commercial, and industrial) and late penalties will only be applied to any property taxes paid on or after October 1, 2020.

Council can offer this deferral without the need to borrow money to cover operating expenses because it has been carefully and prudently managing the City’s finances over the past few years.

Many communities are not in a financial position to offer any tax deferral. This coming week, Council will re-examine the City’s budget in light of COVID-19 and the 2020 tax rate will be set at the regular Council meeting on May 5. Tax notices will be sent to ratepayers toward the end of May.

The City’s partnership with our local business organizations and Community Futures North Cariboo has enabled us to provide direct assistance to local businesses to access any and all support programs being made available to them and their employees. If you know a business that’s struggling and needs help, please have them call 1-888-241-7714 and our team will help them out.

This past week we held our first round-table discussion with social service agencies and not-for-profit organizations in the community to see what we can do to support individuals and families to access all the support programs being made available to them too. More information on that initiative will be made available soon.

In the meantime, as this long emergency continues to unfold, we must all remember that staying home and adhering to social distancing rules is the most effective way we can all help to accelerate the process of getting back to some form of a "new normal".