Working with the neighbouring municipalities of North Simcoe was on Midland Mayor Bill Gordon’s mind during an annual composite fees and charges bylaw discussion for the town at the recent meeting of council.
Throughout the 2024 budget discussions at the end of January, operating the North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre was in the minds of council and staff who aimed to keep the $1.8 million annual running cost to a reasonable amount for Midland residents, but not subsidize the facility by those who don’t use it.
That budget included a composite fees and charges schedule, which was looked at during the recent meeting of council along with an accompanying bylaw.
Coun. Bill Meridis kicked off the discussion, questioning who gets consulted at the rec centre when fees and charges are weighed. It was a light return to his aggressive hour-long grilling of staff in October regarding the town’s alcohol policy, which he had shared his experience as a bar owner.
“When we’re reviewing these fees, is anybody from the NSSRC involved in input on what the fees should be?” Meridis questioned staff.
"I play pickleball at the rec centre and the fees are extremely low for the gym usage, in my opinion. I don’t work there, it’s not my expertise; I just feel they’re low for what I get. Is that the type of conversation that is going to be discussed with management, or does it just come from upper tier? How do those fees become determined?”
Operations director Dylan Flannery explained that aside from fees for miscellaneous items and cancellations, rec centre fees would be held at 2023 rates for facility rentals and programs; as well, staff from management level up were involved in the discussions.
Flannery then provided an additional update on the rec centre working group recently approved by council.
“We’ve made some good progress,” noted Flannery. “We’ve determined… given the direction from council, looking to bring in a third-party facilitator to facilitate a discussion where the heads of council, the CAOs, and some user group presidents or board members are all participating and a part of… to get to some answers and some options around supplementary funding.
“Having that facilitated discussion mid-April makes that goal pretty reasonable; I think we should be able to get it before the break,” Flannery added.
The conversation allowed Gordon to pitch in with his reminder of the October alcohol policy talks, noting: “The jury is still out; we are taking another sober second thought, as it were, to review the facts to make sure so that we come up with the right decision.”
In addition to the alcohol policy, Gordon then listed further ways of governance between residents and the municipality including the downtown parking issue.
“The biggie is going to be the request for proposals for Midland Bay Landing,” said Gordon. “There’s a whole lot of opportunity for the community and stakeholders to be engaged in the decisions we make – that they’re not just being made on reports that come to us, (that we want) to get the voting out of the way so that we can get back to the hot tub or the Blue Jays game or the Leafs."
He concluded by reiterating: “At least everyone will have had a voice at the table and maybe come up with a different way of thinking that we hadn’t thought of that will find a good compromise that meets the needs for our ratepayers; this corporation and its residents altogether, and our visitors no less. Our neighbours are important to us.”
Council approved the recommended annual composite fees and charges schedule within the report, with an amendment to include fees for outdoor patio spaces as discussed earlier in the meeting. The schedule and the accompanying bylaw are expected to be ratified at an upcoming meeting of council.
At council meetings earlier in the month, Penetanguishene Mayor Doug Rawson told MidlandToday that he would entertain reaching a resolution on non-resident user fees for regional facilities; Tiny Township council representatives also shared at their meeting that they would have their doors open to negotiations on non-resident user fees.
The 2024 composite fees and charges bylaw report is available in the council agenda on the town of Midland website.
Council meetings are held every third Wednesday, and can be viewed on Rogers TV cable channel 53 when available, or through the livestream on the Rogers TV website. Archives of council meetings are available through Rogers TV and on the Town of Midland’s YouTube channel.
