DIDSBURY - Town council has passed a motion to waive business licence fees, development permit fees and animal license fees for the period of Jan. 1, 2021 to Mar. 31, 2021.
The move during the Dec. 8 council meeting, held by teleconference and will all councillors present.
Administration estimated that waiving the fees will cost the municipality approximately $40,000 for business licences, $5,000 for development permit fees, and $15,000 for animal licenses, for a total of $60,000.
Council decided to use the Municipal Operating Support Transfer (MOST) grant announced earlier this year to cover the shortfall, meaning there will be no dollar impact on the 2021 budget.
“I really appreciate that our administrative team has put their heads to together and presented something like (this) to benefit our residents,” said mayor Rhonda Hunter.
“I see it as a very positive thinking on their part and something to smile about for people in days when there is not a lot to smile about until we get moving forward again.”
In proposing the waivers, administration put for several reasons, including the following outlined in a briefing note:
• The initiative will benefit business owners who may be struggling due to the impacts of COVID-19.
• It would reduce person to person contact. By charging no business licence fees, development permit fees of animal licence fees, the municipality can reduce the number of in-person visits from hundreds of customers, thus reducing close contacts, which is an important measure in reducing the spread of COVID-19.
• It wold maintain updated information. Although the fees are eliminated, the application is still required, which individuals could easily apply for directly on the town’s website at their convenience.
The Town of Didsbury has been allocated a total of $538,432 through the MOST grant program.
Intern application approved
Also during the Dec. 8 council meeting, councillors voted to support a 2021/2022 Alberta Community Partnership municipal internship program application, which will cover $43,000 of salary, benefits and professional development costs of an intern for the municipality.
As part of the application, the town will be responsible for $17,000 toward salaries and benefits for the intern, including $12,750 as part of the 2021 budget and $4,250 as part of the 2022 budget.
The town's chief administrative officer, Ethan Gorner, told council that the intern position will benefit the municipality in a number of ways.
“An intern is a low-cost way to build capacity in the organization,” said Gorner. “The work plan for the intern will include assisting with and understanding the organization’s financial services, financial reporting, budgeting and financial planning, capital assets and asset management.”
