Sarnia's mayor thinks the city's festival policies and procedures manual needs another look.
Mike Bradley is asking for the document to be reviewed and user groups consulted on how to reduce fees and "red tape."
He said he's received a number of concerns from organizers of festivals and events since the document was approved by council in July 2017.
"I think there are some good things in that policy, but I also think for a lot of these organizations that are manned by volunteers trying to do events in the community, they're finding a lot of obstacles that are very frustrating," said Bradley. "One of the bigger ones is a lot of the fees that the city charges end up coming directly out of the profits that would be going to charities."
City council will consider Bradley's motion Monday.
"I would like to see this turned around in 60 days at the maximum before we get into the high season for community events. We have a number coming up this summer and I think if we can reduce the red tape and facilitate a more effective and reasonable fee structure, I think that's good for the groups and for the community," he said.
During the March 4 council meeting, Bradley said consultant Fred Galloway called the policy too restrictive and said it needed to be reviewed.
Galloway suggested updating it to be more innovative and creative with flexibility.
