A lengthy discussion over procedure at last week’s council meeting ended in the town making a slight adjustment to its bylaw related to its seasonal patio program.
In January, council agreed to extend its patio program for another year for eight months, starting in spring and ending in fall, while staff works on an updated version of the program – a permanent one that doesn’t need to be renewed and endorsed by council each year, which has been the case since it started in 2020 as a result of helping eateries cope from the COVID-19 pandemic.
After arriving at a determination that opening a debate on the already approved bylaw would be a reconsideration and require a two-thirds majority to reopen the discussion, it was decided that a motion brought forward early in the conversation by Coun. Gary Burroughs, be approved – that no new patios on Queen St. be allowed this year until the more-detailed program is approved.
Planning director Kirsten MacCauley said a framework of what the new program could look like will come to council this month, but will still require input from the town’s urban design and municipal heritage committees. She estimated a final approval of how the new patio program, set to start in 2025, will come to council in the third quarter of this year.
A motion crafted by Coun. Sandra O’Connor to charge businesses placing patios on municipal parking spaces, based on a calculation of 75-per-cent occupancy, was also part of the discussion. She also recommended the patios be removed at the end of their permit’s life, in October.
This motion was defeated by council after O’Connor argued “they’ve been able to increase their capacity for free.”
Coun. Erwin Wiens called O’Connor’s idea “moot” and suggested it should not be considered ahead of the new program being presented to council.