November 2016 Inside this issue: Advocacy in Action Member Spotlight Events Review Anniversaries Trends Enjoy Local
CHAMBER at a glance
2 3 4 5 7 8
a publication of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Encourage Investment in Our City
O
ver the last couple of months I have been following with great interest the public discussions between the City of Winnipeg and a variety of developers regarding the implementation of Impact Fees. From the announcement of working meetings between stakeholders and the City on a very transparent process to review the potential of the fees to: the decision to present a motion to the executive committee, to a postponement until January, to the decision to pass a motion at council sooner than indicated in October. This leads me to ponder what is being considered in our fair City and what we can learn from the recent happenings in Winnipeg. We know Brandon has been considering options for determining the costs of development and infrastructure in order to better understand the balance between development, future tax streams, infrastructure investment and maintenance, and business development or private investment. But where do we start
so that the process has an opportunity to be transparent and fair. A process that will ultimately encourage developers to invest in our City now and in the future while building communities that can sustain themselves with reasonable property taxes. In fact, we also believe appropriate development cost charges can actually be attractive to developers and investors as they clearly understand what their development fees will be up front, allowing them to make informed decisions. Their confidence in investing, buoyed by knowing that an ongoing revenue source from development charges, helps ensure regular City investments in “learn from infrastructure the recent that in turn fuels happenings economic Winnipeg� growth. From a developers perspective, I know that they want to do the right things for the community but not at the risk of taking away the
Terry Burgess, Chamber President
opportunity for a reasonable return for their investment. I know they will be more understanding when they can see not only how the costs are determined but where the funds collected will go, not just into the general revenues of the City but rather to specific investments to support the development. The developers are obviously nervous about the potential in implementation of the charges or fees and that in itself, can lead them to invest in other municipalities or activities. So the city should be open about its plans and invite candid (Continued on page 6)