Common Council will consider a motion to waive patio and sidewalk café fees to help city restaurants survive the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The plan is part of the city’s ENCORE program to accelerate pandemic recovery and was presented to the growth committee on Tuesday.
$20,000 has been allocated to the ENCORE fund in order to cover the expenses.
“Our hospitality, tourism, restaurateurs, bars, they’ve had a tough go,” said Mayor Don Darling at the meeting. “This is relatively small, but I’m sure is going to be very much appreciated by those restaurants – and we might see some other patios pop up which gives even more vibrancy to the core.”
A staff report indicated the move would likely cost the city between $5,000 and $10,000 in lost revenue from waiving the patio fees, and an additional $3,000 to $5,000 from fees for patios that take up parking spots.
Councillor John MacKenzie said this is an important opportunity to help the city’s economy, especially with rising COVID-19 case numbers in parts of New Brunswick.
“The city’s interested in businesses being successful this summer, and the way (COVID-1) numbers are going right now we’re going to need every bit of help we can get for businesses uptown,” he said.
Council considered a similar plan to cut down barriers for sidewalk cafés last year but were unable to follow through due to the $10 million in cuts required by last year’s sustainability report.
