Meadow Lake asking for feedback on business licence bylaw

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“We really tried to up the ante with how we communicate with people in our community,” said Mayor Gary Vidal. “This is one of those ways we thought we could go get some feedback from our business community, to see what they thought about this whole process and whether it has value or merit to it.”

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He said the city will examine how it can improve the licence bylaw, or possibly even eliminate it.

One of the questions the city is also looking at is whether the business licence program should be expanded to cover all businesses.

“We’re looking at the whole gamut of options,” Vidal said. “We’re trying to engage people and get some feedback. That’s all it is. We have a process in place now and it has been that way for a long time… We want to go out, talk to folks, and we’ll make a decision from there.”

Currently, only businesses not operating out of a facility in Meadow Lake that pays commercial property tax rates require a licence. For example, if they operate from a residential location rather than a commercially-zoned property they will require a licence. Business licences in ML on average cost about $300 per year, depending on the type of business.  

Vidal suggests perhaps these business licences may help in the “levelling of the playing field,” because some businesses are not paying the higher tax rate for commercial properties that others pay.  

The business licence bylaw had not been reviewed in a number of years so the city believed it was a good time to find out what the public wants at the same time.

“People operating out of a commercial-taxed property do not pay a business licence [fee],” Vidal added. “The question would be: Do we do something different that would provide a higher degree of service to everybody?” 

He added the city is trying to gauge people’s responses and see the “broader perspectives,” so council can make an informed decision when it reviews the bylaw. 

The mayor added after all the feedback is gathered and the open house is completed, administration will return to council with a report on its findings.

“I suspect it would be something we consider this fall as we move into the budget cycle for 2019,” said Vidal.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

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