All current contracts with Central Coast Council are to continue at this time, the council says, but tenders will be reviewed.
In a report on the current situation tabled at the April 27 meeting, council said there was no intention to break any current contracts.
Upcoming tenders would be reviewed to understand the potential impact on cashflow and various other factors.
These included the capacity to stimulate the local economy, whether it prioritised work for Council staff, if there was associated grant funding, whether it was an essential service and if the work could be slowed rather than stopped.
“The decision as to whether to proceed to tender will be made in light of Council’s cash flow and financial situation,” the report said.
Council identified 962 services, both internal and external, and of those, over half continued to be provided without any interruption.
Other services were being provided with a partial interruption.
About 49 per cent of the workforce was working remotely.
Arrangements were in place for staff who travel together in vehicles as part of their work to cease to do so to provide for social distancing.
Council has redistributed vehicles to provide for this and has also hired vehicles.
A total of 134 services have been identified as interrupted.
Council’s waste facilities were closed to the public for a period but have re-opened.
Council events through to at least June 30 have been either cancelled or postponed, and that money was being redirected in grants to help the vulnerable.
The report was adopted unanimously.
Cr Troy Marquart said the sad reality was that some businesses and some sporting associations would be gone forever because they weren’t getting sponsorship.
Mayor Lisa Matthews said councillors were getting an update from the CEO every Friday.
She thanked staff and councillors for their work.
Cr Marquart said he hoped the updates would soon start talking about helping constituents because the greatest gift of all was a job.
Council said it would continue to monitor the financial impact to both its financial position and the wider community.
It had resolved to stall debt recovery actions and signed up to the Splinter Award to enable it to access options to maintain employment for permanent staff whose jobs have been impacted by work closures.
An Economic Task Force has been established to respond to local business impacts.
Source: Agenda item 4.1, Central Coast Council meeting, April 27, 2020.