Expect a lively debate at Windsor's city council meeting Monday night as councillors discuss budgets for the city's business improvement associations.
Of the nine BIAs, three have pledged donations to Citizens for an Accountable Mega Hospital Planning Process and its fight at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal to have the location of a new acute care hospital reconsidered. A GoFundMe page set up to financially support the challenge has raised just over half of the $100,000 goal.
Ten days ago, Mayor Drew Dilkens and Essex County Warden Gary McNamara told reporters those donations might have been illegal under the Municipal Act.
On May 17, Dilkens said, "this could mean the dissolution of the boards by city council, that's the ultimate option, or council to opt to reduce each BIA's budget."
Windsor Ward 9 Councillor Kieran McKenzie at City Hall, January 21, 2019. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
Ward 9 Councillor Kieran McKenzie did not agree and said he would be voting against penalizing the BIAs.
"We've invested, in my opinion, a fair amount of time and energy and resources that the City of Windsor has in its legal department, and from my understanding gone outside of our own legal framework," he said. "I don't know if that's a really good return on investment to look at or not whether we need to micromanage what our business improvement associations are doing."
Related story: One Windsor BIA says no to the CAMPP appeal
The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association has pledged the most, $5,000. Via Italia, the Erie Street BIA has donated $2,500, and the Wyandotte Town Centre BIA, $1,000.
Larry Horwitz who is the new president of the Wyandotte Town Centre BIA said it's money has not been transferred to CAMPP yet.
"We have to take into consideration some of the things the mayor brought forward," said Horwitz. "We have to look closely at moving forward. What are the ramifications?"
The ramifications, according to a report to city councillors, could be a downward adjustment in the approved levy for the three BIAs.
"The mandate of the BIA is to oversee the improvement, beautification, and maintenance of specific municipal property within the BIA and to promote the designated area as a business or shopping area," the report reads. "It has come to Administration's attention the certain BIAs have committed and/or spent funds, which, are not in Administration's opinion, consistent with this mandate -- Administration is recommending a lower budget and levy be approved."
"There's a strong enough argument, in my opinion, that removing a major institution from their catchment area may impact their business and for them to have a position on that would be completely natural," argued McKenzie saying the threat of cutting budgets chills public debate.
"The LPAT process will answer many of the questions around whether the zoning decision that council made previously was appropriate or not," he continued. "Allow that process to play out."
The DWBIA is seeking approval for a levy of $643,172, an increase of 13 per cent from last year, while the Via Italia Erie Street BIA is looking for a 25 per cent increase. The Wyandotte Town Centre BIA is asking for $94,000, the same as in 2018.
