A pair of city councillors have had enough of voting to approve rental rate discounts to use municipal facilities – specifically arenas and ice time – and they want the practice stopped.
Councillors Denis Carr and David Murphy have put forward a notice of motion that will make the rental rates and discount criteria more concrete.
They argue too many groups are coming to council to appeal rental rates in hopes of getting a bigger break on payments.
Both suggest things don’t work that way when one walks into a most other businesses in Cornwall.
“You don’t walk into a restaurant and look at the menu and then say ‘If I order more of this how much do I pay?’” said Murphy in an interview. “You don’t negotiate.”
Carr said the number of groups wanting discounts is taking up too much time of busy administrators and is costing the city revenue at the same time.
“Why do we feel we have to negotiate every time?” he said. “I don’t think we do.
"The rates are the rates."
Their motion will be debated at the next council meeting later this month.
Carr and Murphy became fed up when the Air Traffic Control International Tournament came to council looking for a break on some 70 hours of ice time at both of Cornwall’s arenas.
The tournament is slated for March, 2014.
The controllers want to pay $120 an hour for ice – a discount of more than $5,200.
“We can’t be doing this all the time,” said Carr.
But, there were some councillors at Tuesday’s council meeting who argued the discount will pay dividends when one takes into account the economic spinoffs local hotels, restaurants and bars will enjoy when the 500 tournament players and officials visit the city.
Councillors voted to charge the air traffic controllers the full fees, but they may be willing to purchase a $2,000 sponsorship package for the tournament. That decision will come once the city’s user fee committee and the economic development department prepare reports on the tournament.
Councillors are already worried the practice of avoiding the fee reduction while at the same time shelling out money for sponsorship packages will essentially result in the same kind of money lost.
