A local councillor is hoping to make it a little easier for Chatham-Kent entrepreneurs to do business in the municipality.
Anthony Ceccacci is bringing forward a motion on Monday night asking staff to look at the possibility of including the option for purchasing an annual licence for day sales in Chatham-Kent.
Day sales are defined in the municipal business licensing by-law as "the sale of goods for a one to three day consecutive period from one specific location such as, but not limited to, a parking lot, a service station lot or a vacant commercial lot where the use is permitted in the municipality’s zoning by-law."
Ceccacci said he's hoping to see ways that the municipality can provide a more convenient way for people to get day sales licences than what is currently in place.
"Currently, if someone has a mobile business, if they want to establish areas in the municipality to sell their product, they currently have to buy a licence every three days," said Ceccacci.
Instead of someone having to get a new licence every few days, Ceccacci said he would like to see an option for people to be able to pay a fee and get a licence for a year if they prefer.
"Let's say they have a vacant property in Chatham and they have a lot there they want to set up for the weekend," Ceccacci said. "If they get a site plan, get permission and meet all the requirements they're able to sell their merchandise. But every three days...if they do it on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the next weekend, if they want to do it again, they have to get another three-day licence. This is just looking at ways they can have a yearly cost do to that."
Ceccacci said the current requirement for a renewing a day licence has been brought up by residents in the past, especially given the current economic climate. According to Ceccacci, he also recently heard from someone who moved back to Chatham-Kent after living in a large city, who expressed concerns about the difficulties of trying to open up a mobile business.
"The challenges that are happening right now with brick and mortar buildings in Ontario and in the world because of COIVD, there were some people that reached out in regards to bringing up concerns in regards to entrepreneurs and people trying to start their own businesses and the challenges that create if they want to sell their items at multiple sites across Chatham-Kent," he explained.
If Ceccacci's motion is approved, a report would back to council that looks at the feasibility of introducing annual day sales licences.
