The Town of Newmarket is preparing to create a new municipal tourism corporation to take the funding for its accommodation facility tax.
Council approved creating a municipal accommodation tax last year, taking on hotels and short-term rentals in the community. The province requires a portion of such taxes to go to tourism, and now council plans to progress with creating a tourism corporation at its Feb. 24 committee meeting.
Council will also discuss reducing stormwater charges on some properties and parking bylaw changes.
Here is what NewmarketToday will be following:
Tourism corporation
Newmarket is preparing to incorporate a municipal tourism corporation.
Staff plan to file the articles for incorporation for a Newmarket Tourism Development Corporation to take some of the funding from the municipal accommodation tax. The province requires 50 per cent of the revenue from such tax goes to tourism, either through a municipal services corporation or an eligible tourism entity.
The accommodation tax came into effect Jan. 1. Council directed staff last June to create such a corporation to take the revenue from the tax rather than designating any outside entity for the revenue.
“The purposes of the corporation shall be to promote and support tourism and tourism-related activities in Newmarket that contribute to local economic growth and development. Any profits of the corporation shall be used in promoting its purposes,” the staff report said.
The corporation will have the mayor as chair and the CAO as vice-chair, with staff filling the other positions on the board of directors.
Stormwater reductions
The town plans to provide some stormwater charge relief for larger properties.
The municipality charges stormwater rates throughout the town to fund its stormwater management program and address the risks of flooding.
But the staff report said properties with more than one acre have large green spaces and provide lower runoff. As such, the town is planning to keep those properties' 2024 stormwater charges at 2023 levels and hold the same for 2025 and 2026.
Stormwater charges are collected as part of NT Power bills. The town already calculates stormwater charges based on the size of a property, with residential properties in a medium runoff category and commercial and industrial buildings in a high runoff category.
In 2023, town council approved increasing residential stormwater bills by more than $80 each year for the following three years to address a funding gap.
Parking bylaw
The town is adjusting its parking bylaw at the behest of York Regional Police.
The updated bylaw will clarify that a vehicle owner is not liable for any fees related to removing their vehicle from private property unless a police report is filed or the town's bylaw department is notified.
The municipality is streaming the council meeting Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. You can view the meeting at newmarket.ca/meetings or attend in person at 395 Mulock Dr. You can also set up a deputation or send correspondence by messaging [email protected].