Windsor city council has two special meetings lined up, Tuesday evening and Wednesday.
Tuesday, at 5 p.m., councillors are expected to pass a bylaw enabling them to meet electronically.
Councillors are doing their part too to stop the spread of COVID-19, and like others across the province need to pass a bylaw to make it legal.
The province amended the Municipal Act to allow councillors to hold their meetings electronically in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wednesday morning, councillors will debate a proposal to defer property tax payments for residential and business ratepayers.
If it passes, the deferral will be until June 30.
"Everyone's just trying to figure out how to get through the next three weeks, the next three months and this is just the biggest way the city can actually be part of allowing residents to keep their money," said Mayor Drew Dilkens.
Those who will want to take advantage of the offer will have to call the city and opt-out of their property tax payments.
"You'll still have to pay your property taxes, you just wouldn't have to pay it until June 30," explained Dilkens. "That gives residents and businesses alike the opportunity to conserve their cash to deal with the essentials of life for the next 90 days."
Residents who defer their payments until June will not be charged interest on their payments and will not face any penalty.
Dilkens also stressed the deferral will not hurt city services.
"Because of our very strong balance sheet, our strong fiscal management as a city over the past decade, we have solid cash reserves to be able to weather a storm like a global pandemic," he explained. "We won't have to borrow. We can certainly get through the next 90 days and continue to pay the police, the fire, the bus drivers, but it can't continue in perpetuity. There has to be an end date to it."
An email from Dilkens' chief of staff, Andrew Teliszewsky, said more details about the plan are expected over the next 36 hours. The agenda for Wednesday's meeting said a report from the City Treasurer would be forthcoming.
Residents in the county are encouraged to maintain their property tax, water, and wastewater payments, but the interest and penalties, if they are late, will be waived.
That is for payments due March 31 to April 30.
On Monday, treasurers representing all the municipalities in Essex County met to develop a financial relief plan for county residents.
A release from the Town of Lakeshore said, "property owners who wish to be removed from an existing payment authorization plan must contact the town's tax office."
