OLDS — Administrative staff are looking into a suggestion by Coun. Heather Ryan to waive development permit fees in order to support and spur businesses in town.
Ryan made that suggestion during council’s Jan. 11 meeting, saying she’d heard on the radio that another community was doing that.
Chief administrative officer Michael Merritt said administrative staff will indeed look into that idea, but warned it could be costly, and council has already set its budget.
Merritt noted council did waive 2021 business licence fees as a way to support and jump-start local businesses.
He said the impact of that decision is easier to calculate.
“It was much easier to get a definitive item in regards to business licences because we have a pretty good understanding of what the number of businesses (is),” Merritt said.
“Development is really futuristic in nature and would be a guesstimate at best to determine what the future – I guess – opportunity costs would be, so to speak.”
That said, Merritt said town staff would investigate the idea and what the hit would be to the town’s bottom line.
Merritt said the town has been working hard to support and spur local businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We have been very proactive in the town of Olds in regards to providing a reopening grant in 2020, including having utility deferrals and delaying our tax agreements and payments," he said.
Merritt said the town has been “on top of the issues” and “very active in getting information out to the business community on a number of fronts.”
Ryan agreed that waiving development permit fees was not part of the town’s latest budget.
However, she said she “thought it was an interesting idea; something we could look at.”
As part of her query, Ryan also asked if the town’s economic development taskforce still exists.
Merritt said it no longer exists, but the town’s economic development secretariat, which includes representation from the Olds & District Chamber of Commerce, Olds Institute and town staff is still operating. It’s chaired by Larry Wright, the town’s strategy and development officer.
