Council briefs
Marketing plan adopted with hesitation
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, April 29, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The idea of spending $350,000 next year to create an organization to promote the city as a destination for conventions and tourists hit resistance from budget-focused city councillors.
A report commissioned by the city at a cost of $48,867 recommended starting a destination marketing organization with start-up funds from the city as well as adding a city staff position to run it. After the first year, the report suggests the organization would become independent and would rely on $1 million to $3 million in annual funding from a visitor levy - a tax applied to city hotel room bills.
However, that tax would need to be implemented through legislation passed by the by the GNWT.
There appeared to be little confidence that would happen on the schedule suggested. Coun. Rebecca Alty said the levy had been discussed for years without action. She suggested tabling the consultant's report until the levy is in place. She said city funds could be better spent on downtown issues.
"Until we receive the funding, there's no plan really," Alty said, at which point the plan should go "full steam ahead."
Coun. Niels Konge said the plan has great information but worried the staff position would remain on city books.
"I don't think city government should be expanding our staffing on things like this," he said.
"I think we need to recognize that there's a lot of value in this plan," said Coun. Adrian Bell.
Alty was the only vote in favour of her motion to table the report and the only vote against adopting the report as information.
While the plan was adopted, any spending would have to be included and approved through a future city budget.
Seniors, disabled tax credit review rejected
City council voted Monday against having administration review a senior citizens and disabled persons property tax credit as several said a broader review of the bylaw needs to be carried out, not just one aspect.
The credit has a cap of $1,000, though legislation allows communities to provide a credit up to 50 per cent of the property tax bill.
Coun. Julian Morse introduced the motion and said it may be time to change the cap.
Several councillors wondered whether it might be better to have staff do a broader review of the property tax administration bylaw. Asked how long such a review could take, senior administrative officer Dennis Kefalas said six to eight weeks for the whole thing.
Coun. Linda Bussey said there seems to be a misunderstanding about the policy and the way people are informed about it.
"We need to do a lot of education," Bussey said.
Coun. Adrian Bell said a broader review would be more time consuming.
"I really don't understand why this needs to be turned into a broader project," Bell said. If there are communication issues, that's not something that requires a bylaw review, he said.
Couns. Morse, Bell and Shauna Morgan voted in favour of the tax credit review. The other five councillors - including those who voiced support for a broader review - voted against the review of the specific tax credit.
City to contribute $10K to podcast
Council unanimously approved contributing $10,000 for a national project that will create a podcast involving stories of the city's history. A podcast is an audio production similar distributed online.
It's part of a project called "The Tale of the Town" marking 150 years since Confederation that is creating podcasts about communities across the country. The podcast will be distributed nationally by The Walrus Magazine.
Coun. Julian Morse, chairperson of the city's heritage committee, said the funding would allow a team of specialists to come to the city later this year for about three weeks with a mobile radio studio to record interviews.
Morse told councillors there have been discussions about carrying out interviews with residents of the Avens seniors home and Yellowknives Dene First Nation.
"I think it's a great way to highlight Yellowknife and record stories that would otherwise be lost," Morse said.
The full cost of the Yellowknife portion of the project is expected to be $20,000, according to a city staff report presented to councillors. Half the cost would be funded through grants from Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and in-kind contributions from the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre.
The remainder - the portion the city approved spending - will come from the Heritage Committee Reserve Fund.
As well, there would be a community listening party.
