2003-02-24_Minutes--Procès-verbal
2003-1
At a Public Committee of the Whole meeting of Common Council, held at the City Hall in
The City of Saint John, on Monday, the twenty-fourth day of February A. D. 2003, at 5: 1 0
o'clock p.m.
present
Deputy Mayor Carl White, Chairperson
Mayor McAlary and Councillors Ball, Chase, Desmond,
Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick, Teed, Titus and Trites
- and -
Messrs. 1. Totten, City Manager; J. Nugent, City Solicitor; A.
Beckett, Commissioner of Finance and Commissioner of
Corporate Services; and Ms. C. Mosher, Assistant Common
Clerk.
Other staff members present during the meeting were Messrs. P. Woods, Deputy City
Manager; P. Groody, Commissioner of Municipal Operations; J. Baird, Commissioner of
Planning and Development; B. Morrison, Director of Recreation and Parks; G. Tait, Fire
Chief; and B. Irving, Manager of Real Estate Services, and Mmes. M. Totten, Manager
of Tourism; S. Elliott, Tourism Officer; and S. Cummings, Convention and Event Officer.
1. MeetinQ Called To Order
Deputy Mayor White called the meeting to order.
Mr. Totten noted the intent for this meeting to be less formal, with presentations to be
made on issues on which Council did not have time to hear staff presentations at its
regular meetings and to consider these issues without a recommendation from the City
Manager, and for the City Manager to submit a recommendation at a future regular
Council meeting, having had time to digest the comments of Council and staff members,
and Council members having had an opportunity to seek the views of the public. Mr.
Totten, noting that Tourism and the City Market were issues for this meeting, indicated
that in March he anticipated dealing with the issue of a Police/Fire officer combination on
which there was a report under agenda item 5 of this meeting, as well as the direction
with respect to community centres which was an issue raised during budget
deliberations.
2. Tourism Saint John
Consideration was given to a report from the City Manager submitting a tourism
marketing plan - "Tourism Promotion In Greater Saint John 2003-2005", which was
previously submitted to Council on December 2, 2002, with Council on January 6, 2003
having referred the matter of tourism to this meeting for discussion as indicated under
agenda item 4; advising the intent to provide a presentation dealing with some of the
issues often raised at Council and endeavour to answer questions on (1) the amount of
funding invested by the City in promoting and selling the community to the various
tourism markets, (2) whether visitors would still come to the community without a
proactive approach by the Municipality, (3) what the competitors are doing, (4) others
contributing to the City's efforts, (5) what industry is saying with respect to the hotel tax
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Public Committee of the Whole
February 24, 2003
issue, and (6) whether the answer to Council's concerns simply is to create an
independent organization to provide this service; and also advising, as Council was not
being presented with a recommendation or asked to make a decision at this meeting, the
intent to present in open session of Council recommendations dealing with the adoption
of the 2003-2005 marketing plan (with amendments resulting from the 2003 budget
decision), and the future accountability and funding for the delivery of the objectives of
the marketing plan.
Mr. Totten spoke to the benefit of the City's involvement in tourism in terms of his view
that such involvement (1) protects and enhances the City's non-residential tax base, (2)
earns direct revenue for the City through the Trade and Convention Centre and the
parking lot at Market Square, as well as revenue to other organizations, such as the
Transit and Parking Commissions and the Imperial Theatre, (3) ensures the continued
viability of the Saint John Airport, (4) sustains jobs in the hospitality industry, thereby
protecting the residential tax base, (5) improves the City's image, (6) creates awareness
and ensures that others know that the City exists, and (7) ensures that tourism activities
are carried out in that there was no evidence that such activities would get done if the
City did not do them.
Ms. Totten, through a computer-aided presentation, reviewed the above-referenced
marketing plan during which time she addressed the issue of the hotel levy based on
industry meetings spearheaded by Hospitality Saint John, advising that the major hotels,
for the most part, supported such a levy and an attempt was being made to get them to
come up with a position and subsequently meet with Council so that Council, in turn,
could decide on an approach to take to the Province.
(Councillor Titus entered the meeting during the above presentation.)
During discussion the Council members spoke in turn in the above regard, and the
Mayor commented on the status of financial participation in tourism with the City of other
municipalities in the greater Saint John area, and advised that the area Mayors would be
discussing this matter at a meeting next week; and Mr. Totten noted the intent to submit
a policy position on tourism at a forthcoming regular Council meeting.
3. City Market
Consideration was given to a report from the City Manager regarding the City Market
further to the indication during the 2003 budget process of his intent to present a report
on its operation, commenting on issues that have surfaced in terms of its preservation as
a historical icon, maintenance, marketing and promotion, management and the question
of privatizing the Market; and also commenting on the options of (1) in-house Market
management (appoint a new Deputy Market Clerk), and (2) third party management of
the City Market, noting the possibility of a modified or hybrid version of these options, as
well as the question of how and by whom it should be operated as a heritage landmark,
a tourism icon and the Uptown Saint John anchor, as well as remain a City-owned
facility.
Mr. Totten noted that the above report points out where the City as an administration has
failed in fulfilling some responsibilities at the City Market and presents opportunities for
consideration; and Mr. Irving, through a computer-aided presentation, highlighted the
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report, dealing with the option of in-house Market management with the Deputy Market
Clerk to focus exclusively on the day-to-day operations and marketing of it, with Real
Estate Services staff taking on the lease administration duties while providing direction
and support to the Deputy Market Clerk, and the option of third-party management of the
Market with the hiring of a team to operate and lease the City Market, taking direction
from an asset manager or Real Estate Services, deploying management and marketing
expertise where required to operate the Market on behalf of the City.
There was discussion in the above regard, and Mr. Totten made the observation that,
putting aside the issue of the Local 18 labour force in dealing with the City Market as one
that would be dealt with in the fullness of time and through the age of employees, the
City would always own the Market; however, in his belief the City has failed over a
decade in terms of trying to control its costs and trying to appease everyone, setting an
across-the-board rental rate for space at the Market and not building in the money
necessary to renovate, maintain and manage it, thus this was something that Council
should be considering, recognizing that tenants there would react to an indication that
their rent would somehow be based on their sales volume. Mr. Totten noted his intent to
submit a policy position to Council on the issue of the City Market at a future meeting.
Deputy Mayor White noted the remaining agenda items whereupon it was proposed that
these should be tabled, and a suggestion was made that the agendas for Public
Committee of the Whole meetings should be limited in number.
On motion, the meeting adjourned at 8:35 o'clock p.m.
Assistant Common Clerk