By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Northumberland County council’s Economic Development, Tourism, Land Use Planning Committee voted Wednesday in support of increased user fees at the Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre.
This Colborne facility provides farmers and food entrepreneurs access to a safe, clean food-manufacturing facility and qualified production staff, with clients charged according to the services they use.
Dwayne Campbell, Director of Planning, Development and Strategic Initiatives, said the increase had been under discussion for some time and, in any event, they review their fees annually.
“This time around we have recommended an average 15% increase across all fees,” Campbell said.
This is to kick in Feb. 1, he added, and will smoothly roll into an upcoming consolidated fees and charges bylaw
“Are clients aware these fee increases are coming down the pipe, possibly?” committee member Brian Ostrander asked.
“The clients are aware,” Campbell affirmed.
“There was a survey went out in the fall advising – given some of the budget constraints and on-going budget discussions at the time – there may be a need to increase fees by 15% roughly. That was seen as manageable by most clients.”
These clients have since been informed that the increase will be presented to county council in January and will take effect Feb. 1.
“To date, we have not heard any feedback from those clients,” Campbell noted.
The report before the committee from Manager of Economic Development Rob Day said the increase would apply to “production space, specialized rooms, storage and labour fees, with modest adjustments to consultation and testing services. These changes reflect rising operational costs and align OAFVC pricing with comparable facilities.”
And the result is anticipated to be some $50,000 in additional annual revenue to “help offset rising operational costs and support continued investment in facility maintenance and service quality.”
The committee will recommend to county council that the fee change be approved.
