Amherstburg takes feedback on new business fees, Open Air Weekends

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Amherstburg is rolling out its proposed new business licence fees following a retreat from a similar effort earlier this year after business owners spoke out against them for being too high and complained of a lack of communication from the town. 

The fees were made public at an open house for business owners at Flow Cafe & Bikes on Sept. 11. The town also sought comments on the Open Air Weekends festival held in the town for 14 weeks in the summer, during which some downtown streets are closed to traffic to allow pedestrians to take part in family oriented activities.  

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The new fees were streamlined to include fewer categories and reduced by 31.7 per cent from the first proposal, said Amherstburg’s licensing and enforcement manger, Bill Tetler, who was at the open house to answer questions. 

Some business owners who attended the meeting said they’re still too high for small operations that don’t have a lot of volume. 

Carolyn Davies, owner of The Bondy House Bed and Breakfast on Dalhousie Street, said her businesses fees for the new municipal licence – there is no such requirement in place at the moment – will be about $352, down from a proposed $435 earlier this year. 

The fees are a cost-recovery approach to cover more frequent inspections of businesses by the town required for a business licence. In proposing the fees last fall, Tetler said in a report to council the “main goal of a municipal business licence is to protect the health and safety of the public who use consumer services or products.” 

But more frequent inspections aren’t popular with business owners. 

“It’s a little bit frustrating,” said Davies, whose operation has three rooms. “I think it has to be fair. I understand where they’re coming from, it’s going to pay for the inspectors, it’s going to pay for the firefighters.  

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“It’s a lot for little businesses. We’re not Walmart. Some people make that profit that I’m going to get charged in an hour. Some of that fee, especially in low season, would be a week’s profit.” 

Her building is more than a century old, but has it been thoroughly inspected, she said. 

“I understand the safety. Make sure I don’t have old forms of electricity. I have a 120- year-old house. I’ve been through all this. I’ve had the electrician come through, they’ve checked all the electricity. I’ve had the plumber come through, they’ve checked all the plumbing. I’ve had everything done. Now they’re saying it has to be done yearly.  

“Any changes that have been made I’ve had an inspector come in to make sure it’s good. So it’s a bit redundant for me to pay on top of that for the same thing.” 

Sarah Brush, owner of Speck’s Restaurant on Bathurst Street, was a vocal opponent of the first round of fees proposed by the town. She’s just as opposed to the reduced fees, since the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit already inspects her property.  

“I find it redundant still,” she said. “We pay for my having a restaurant (and) protecting the community through the (health unit) and I just don’t understand how they think that putting this out there is going to protect the people when they’re already being protected.” 

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Business owners are united in opposition to the fees, she Brush, who vowed to appear before council again when the fees are being debated. “I don’t think one person that was there was for it. I don’t think anybody was happy with it.” 

Robert Nesbitt and Nicole Stach own FRATE Street Food, which will open next month on Murray Street to sell tacos, burgers and street food out of a renovated shipping container. The pair attended the meeting to find out about the fees. 

Nesbitt said his business will pay about $350. “It’s not horrible, but I prefer not to pay it. I think they should be encouraging small businesses,” he said. 

FRATE Street Food will provide food services to the neighbouring boutique Hotel STRY, which will start taking guests next month, said Nesbitt, who has served as a chef at other Amherstburg restaurants. 

“We came out here (from Windsor) and it was a lot easier for us. Part of opening a business in Windsor – it seemed like there was a lot of roadblocks to open up a small business. Out here …there was no fees … or all this criteria to open up.” 

Businesses owners were also asked to provide input on the summer Open Air Weekends, which ran from May 31 to Sept. 1 this year every Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. 

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Councillor Molly Allaire, who attended the information meeting, said the town wants feedback because there are varying opinions of how it should be run. 

“There’s a huge controversy over Open Air and the success of it,” she said. “We have quite a few businesses saying it’s not successful for them, some saying they absolutely love it.” 

Businesses that are more tourist oriented like the idea of pedestrians wandering around the town centre, spending money in local stores, said Allaire. But others, for example hair salons, don’t see any more business but parking becomes a problem for their clients, she said. 

“So there’s good and here’s bad, it’s just making it work.” 

The town has circulated a survey to business owners asking them for their input on the festival, she said. 

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