Council has voted to defer the adoption of the 2020/21 Fees & Charges for one week to allow for further investigations.

The schedule of fees and charges developed for the 2020/21 financial year strives to achieve an equitable "user pays" system for services provided that will continue to assist Council in becoming a long term, financially sustainable organisation.

Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said Council has an obligation to ensure that it covers its costs when delivering optional services such as venue hire, caravan park bookings and animal registrations.

“I completely understand the financial position that Covid-19 has brought to our local businesses and we have already put in place various other discount methods to help our local businesses," he said.

"The CPI rate for the March 2019 to March 2020 period is 2.2%. As per my election promise, I will ensure council exhausts all possibilities around revenue-raising before considering any increases above CPI."

"The staff and I, after conferring with all councillors, have worked extremely hard to achieve this realistic target, and as such I will be putting forward the Fees and Charges motion as is, again at the next meeting."

A Special Council Meeting will be held at 12.30pm on Tuesday, June 9.

Council, meanwhile, will transfer $145,000 worth of capital works savings to complete emergency repairs to the water main supplying Newell Beach.

Douglas Shire Council resolved to repair a significant rupture that was discovered 1.5 metres below the bed of Carson Creek, next to Mossman-Daintree Rd.

Crews will connect to the water main away from the creek and lay a new 150mm poly pipe adjacent to the road and across the top of the culvert passing the creek.

The damaged pipe was installed in the 1960s.