City Council in Cornwall deferred a decision on By-law 2025-015, which would establish new municipal fees and charges for 2025, after concerns were raised over the rationale behind some increases. The by-law, which repeals previous fee structures from 2023 and 2024, was debated at the January 27 meeting.
Councillor Sarah Good questioned the reasoning behind certain fee hikes, noting inconsistencies such as a 20% increase in burial fees, a 15% increase in some administrative charges, and disparities between parking rate adjustments. “It seems somewhat arbitrary,” she said. “Parking passes have only increased by 2.7%, while hourly rates have gone up by 6%. That doesn’t seem equitable or supportive of downtown businesses.”
Mayor Justin Towndale acknowledged the concerns and noted ongoing discussions with local businesses. “We’ve issued a lot of permits for downtown parking, but we’re not leaving enough room for turnover parking. That’s a challenge for businesses that rely on quick customer turnover,” Towndale said.
He also pointed out that the city’s parking program has been running a deficit for several years. “Right now, our parking program is losing money. It’s running a deficit, and it has for a couple of years. That is a challenge for the city—it’s a financial challenge, it’s a pressure that we have to address.”
Councillor Dean Hollingsworth argued against immediate changes, suggesting that Council should hear directly from administration before voting. “I think it would be reasonable to have our professionals explain why these fees are in place rather than jumping in prematurely,” he said.
Councillor Syd Gardiner expressed concerns about the impact of fee increases on downtown businesses. “I don’t want to drive people to the malls. If we up our parking costs too much, we’ll kill our businesses downtown,” he warned.
A motion to defer the by-law until administration provides a report on the rationale behind the fee changes was ultimately passed. The report is expected to be presented at a future Council meeting.