City of Perth Council Meeting: 30 May 2023

Council met at 5pm on Tuesday 30 May for a packed agenda covering 746?pages.

As usual the below snapshot is my personal view only. Any views expressed in my updates are given to explain in my opinion why Council has made certain decisions. To ensure you’re across the full debate,?I encourage you to view our live stream and visit the agenda page to access officer reports.

1. 2023/2024 Events - $950k in sponsorship

We have?a vision?to be the events heart of Western Australia.?A key principle of our strategy is to have something for everyone.?That means facilitating?and supporting a diverse range of events that appeal to a broad demographic and provide incredible experiences right throughout the year. The latest round of applicants receiving support from ratepayers include:

• Telethon Family Festival
• Alinta Energy Christmas Pageant
• Perth International Jazz Festival
• HBF Run for a Reason
• Elizabeth Quay Fun Fair
• NAIDOC Week Opening Ceremony
• Carols in the City
• ANZAC Day
• Perth Leisure Lifestyle Show
• ISWA Diwali Mela?
• Perth Garden and Outdoor Living Festival
• City Wine Perth

Council also backed my amendment to wipe an additional $200,000 in City fees and charges so that when we give sponsorship out, it's not then used to pay us. What's the point in giving out funds to support events for a large chunk of it just to come back to us? By reducing costs, streamlining application processes and being genuinely willing to invest in our Events Strategy with our own resources already funded by ratepayers, these measures will all lead to a better experience for event organisers and a better outcome for the City.

2. New incentives to increase residential population in the heart of Perth

Council supported the Lord Mayor's push to see new incentives?for more CBD residential development introduced ASAP before our new planning scheme is ready. Click here to see what this will mean for the City.

3. Urban Greening Strategy?

Council authorised the administration to undertake works across the following six key pillars to see a greener City of Perth and backed it with a $1.2 million budget:

• Creating a greener network:?integrated pedestrian links and biodiversity corridors
• Greening buildings: green roofs, living walls and gardens
• Enhancing our green open spaces:?continue to protect our parks and gardens
• Making the blue-green connection:?sustainable water management?
• Setting targets?to monitor and measure progress + report back to the community
• Greening together:?community participation (regular open planting days)

4. Protecting ratepayers from a planning loophole

In June 2022, Council supported my motion to change our planning scheme so that for future developments applications which rely on the Community Centre definition, as was the case with the drop-in centre on James Street in Northbridge, it will no longer be viewed as a Preferred use across the City of Perth.

Instead, by changing it to Contemplated, the application will be widely advertised (before this change there was no requirement for this to occur), and the City can unequivocally refuse the application.?Council has now completed the process and sent this to the Western Australian Planning Commission for endorsement.

5. Heritage Rates Concession?

Council supported my amendment to see ratepayers continue receiving their heritage concession for another financial year. This is $200,000 of income we won't receive, but what it means is ratepayers can use this money to help with rising costs to maintain their heritage homes and buildings.

We have set aside $4 million for heritage grants to be used on bigger projects which see buildings converted for new uses, and while this remains available, we can take a small portion of this to?ensure the rates concession continues.

During this item I also flagged potential changes Council could consider in our upcoming 2023/2024 Fees & Charges list to remove the DA cost for minor heritage works. It's nonsense to me that we would charge a property owner a DA fee which is worked out on the percentage of the value of the works for something relatively simple. Let's make it easier for property owners to conserve our heritage buildings.?

6. Differential Rates - 2023/2024

Council has approved the advertisement of our draft rates increase across our six land use categories for the coming financial year. I'll leave the good news to the Lord Mayor to celebrate, and while nothing has been formally approved yet until we pass the Budget, it's looking positive for ratepayers compared to the cost increases they've been hit with by the State Government. Stay tuned for our Budget pack for residents and ratepayers in early July.?

7. Parking Amendment Local Law 2023

Council has endorsed a series of changes to the way we manage parking in the City of Perth. We need these changes to make it simpler to understand the rules and fairer for road users like our couriers and trucks using loading zones. You can read through these changes by clicking here (start on page 313 of the PDF)

8. LGBTIQA+ Advisory Committee?

After learning that external lawyers were required by this group to the tune of $52,000 in the last financial year (public agenda page 175/746), Council supported my amendment to abandon the link between Council and the advisory group as a separate body sitting outside of the administration and instead requested our CEO to support us on matters which may require such advice.

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There were other financial reports and updates from the Audit & Risk Committee which you can read the full agenda here.

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Other important updates:

1. New data released by the?Tourism & Transport Forum?tracking the post-pandemic recovery of cities revealed that visitors to Perth on Saturday and Sunday are nine per cent higher than before COVID struck?– the biggest bounce back of any capital city in the country. We have some work to do during the week, but this is a strong endorsement that Council's plan is working.

2. Lightscape - powered by the City of Perth with a $200,000 partnership with Kings Park?- is an?internationally acclaimed sensation of light, colour and sound coming to Perth from 16 June to 30 July 2023. Click here to find out more.

3. The State Government's Budget announced earlier this month might have billions in iron ore and lithium royalties, but it also passes on more costs for ratepayers. You can see a summary of the impact here.

• The increase in the Perth Parking Levy by another 3.5% in the coming financial year?means we have to give another $640,000 to the State Government taking our?annual liability to over $18.5 million.
• For every dollar we pay in the Perth Parking Levy, it's a dollar less we can use to subsidise your rates bill.
• The State Government has seemingly dismissed the findings from the Auditor-General which clearly states if we are going to be taxed the money has to be spent for the right purposes. Yet the fund balance goes from $200 million to $300 million in four years.?You can click here to see the snapshot taken directly from the State Budget paper.
• That's why this issue impacts every single ratepayer in the City, regardless of if you actually pay the levy directly. The $75 million parking business owned by ratepayers is the greatest buffer we have against high rates increases - so we need this business to be running efficiently and free from unfair tax increases.?

As usual if you need help with any City of Perth issue please get in touch:?[email protected].