A portable sign permit in St. Albert will now cost nine per cent more after city council approved the increase Monday night.
Mayor Nolan Crouse brought forward a motion to increase the 2014 fee for portable signs to $225 per sign. Permanent sign permits will be $212 per sign, as proposed by administration in the 2014 master rates and fees update. The staff proposal had been for fees to be the same for both kinds of sign. The development fees for portable and permanent signs in 2013 was $206 per sign.
Crouse called it a "modest adjustment" and said his reason for bringing the motion forward was to reward those who chose permanent signs.
"I wanted to reward permanency. Our residents want permanency," Crouse said.
Coun. Malcolm Parker wanted some justification on changing the rate, while Coun. Cam MacKay said the minor fee changes all add up to higher costs, worrying that increasing fees will make businesses in St. Albert uncompetitive.
"It's just gotten to a point with these portable sign fees, it's just counter-productive in my mind," he said.
Coun. Cathy Heron said she agreed with the purpose of the motion – to reduce signs – but didn't think the motion achieved that.
"There's other options out there," she said, versus continually changing the portable sign fees.
Coun. Len Bracko was in favour of the motion.
"It's time we reduce the number of signs, it's what our residents want," Bracko said.
The motion comes after the St. Albert Trail committee's report earlier this year, which suggested finding ways of moving businesses from portable to permanent signs.
The motion to increase portable sign permit fees for 2014 to $225 was passed by a vote of 4-2, with Heron, Bracko, Crouse and Coun. Wes Brodhead voting in favour and Parker and MacKay voting against. Coun. Roger Lemieux was absent.
Three per cent
Council made no alterations to other proposed fees changes that were up for approval, passing the updated bylaw unanimously.
Chief financial officer Anita Ho presented the fee schedule to council, which had been previously presented to the standing committee on finance.
Most of the fees are being adjusted upwards by about three per cent, though there are some exceptions like development fees, Ho said. Most of the fees are being increased to deal with inflationary costs, Ho's report said.
She said 20 per cent of the city's revenue stream comes from fees and rates. She said fees in Servus Place and St. Albert Visual Arts Studio were adjusted to reflect comparable market rates.
Overall the changes are expected to generate an extra $872,200 in revenue, Ho's report said. Crouse's motion to change the portable sign fees is estimated to bring in $6,000 extra.
