DIDSBURY - Council has approved a change to the Planning and Business Licence Rates and Fees Bylaw to include new definitions for resident and non-resident businesses.
The update came by way of motion at the Feb. 14 council meeting, held in person and on YouTube.
Coun. Joyce McCoy, a member of the policies and governance committee, told council, “After a lot of discussion our biggest concern was the use of the word resident versus non-resident.
“We think it might confuse businesses so we added definitions that if you don’t live in town but you have a brick-and-mortar structure here that’s considered a resident for the purposes of that (bylaw).”
In January council had referred the bylaw to the policies and governance committee for clarification of the business licence fees.
The approved new definitions are: “Resident business licence means business located in the Town of Didsbury” and “Non-resident licence means businesses not located in the Town of Didsbury limits.”
Chief administrative officer Ethan Gorner said, “It is specifically where the business is located. So if it is a home business it is the address of that home business. If it’s a brick-and-mortar business, it is the location of that brick-and-mortar business. It is where the location of the business is, not where the person lives who runs the business.”
Following a meeting on Feb. 8, the committee recommended the fee for resident and non-resident business licences be set at $100 and $200 respectively. Renewal of business licences will have an additional $100 added to the rate after Jan. 31 of each year, except in 2023 (when) it will be after March 31.
Council also approved the following additional new wording to the bylaw: “For new businesses startups, the fees for their first business license will be included in the noted development fees” and “All new business startups that do no require a permit will be at the early payment incentive fee rate.”
Council carried a motion approving the update bylaw.
Council also carried a second motion that the policy and governance committee be charged with further exploring, for recommendation to council, potential targeted use for a portion of the business licence fees collected.
Also during the Feb. 14 council meeting, council carried a motion giving first reading to the updated recreation rates bylaw.
The 2023 bylaw calls for updated fees for parks and sport fields, including the following: season rate youth - local $200, up from $125; season rate adult - local $275, up from $200; season rate non-local $325, up from $225; tournament rate youth local (weekend) $250, up from $200, tournament rate adult local $350, up from $300.
The daily rate for ball diamond adult local would be $125 and the daily rate non-local would be $150, up from $125. The Memorial Park Stage rental rate would be $175 day, up from $150.
Council carried a motion referring the proposed 2023 recreation rates to the strategic planning committee for review.
