Steve Meldrum, a downtown business owner, addresses council regarding the City Centre Development Agency budget before it passed Monday night. CCDA board chair Jeremy Silver, left, and Shila Sharps, centre-top, a vocal CCDA critic, swatch from the gallery.--NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
The City Centre Development Agency has an approved budget for 2021, but might face a vote to dissolve the organization before the spring.
City council approved the organization’s budget it had tabled last week while dealing with complaints from some stakeholders about cuts to a local grant.
It also engaged its legal department to study several changes suggested by the board to reform the group that operates on provincial mandate.
Coun. Kris Samraj said that will continue and the budget passing doesn’t affect the need for it, which passed 8-1.
Two dozen stakeholders attended the meeting, including longtime CCDA opponent Shila Sharps, who says she has secured support from one quarter of current members to force a referendum.
“I think we’re spinning our wheels at this point,” said Sharps, who says the group is geared to boosting foot traffic to retailers while most members are by-appointment service providers.
“Times have changed and I don’t think (promotional) events are what business owners want.”
CCDA board chair Jeremy Silver said work has been ongoing for some time to give stakeholders who pay the levy more of a say, and the city less, both through the budget and the board.
He would like stakeholders to review upcoming changes and help build the organizations, but says the vote has a strong chance of succeeding.
“Do I think it’s because we’ve done an awful job? No,” said Silver.
“Business owners are counting their pennies, people are scared, businesses aren’t open and they don’t know what the future holds,” he told the News.
“I think it’s an inappropriate and unfair time to hold a referendum. Let’s have some time to recover from all this.”
City Clerk Angela Cruickshank confirmed to the News that she received the petition on Jan. 28, and will now verify the names and a voting list.
Sharps says her petition had 86 signatures of the 204 stakeholders. She also says another 10 are permanently closed, and another 30 that were temporarily closed were unavailable.
She would like to see a vote before this year’s levy is collected in June.
