- by Peter Reid

How can I say that? Well, when it comes to the River District Board of Management (formerly the Downtown Improvement Area) it’s pretty obvious. It took the extreme gutting of the DIA to get more than a handful of levy paying Members to show up. The last Annual General Meeting (AGM) the DIA Board held, there were 3 people in the seats who weren’t on the Board. Since then, the majority of the Board actually voted to abolish the AGM.

Did anyone notice? If they did, they didn’t speak up about it.

The majority of the Board also voted down a motion to provide an equal level of service to ALL areas in the River District area (item 8b on the agenda). Again, it seems the businesses that are in the areas that receive a lower standard of care and marketing don’t seem to mind footing the bill to keep “Main Street” the focus, or that’s what the Board believes.

I get it, running a business takes time. You must prioritize where your most precious commodity - Time - is spent. I’ve spent the last three years sitting on this Board and I really must admit at this point it seems like a very poor investment of my time.

On January 12th, 2022, the River District Board will present its budget at a public meeting that no one will likely attend, and won't be able to attend in person.

If you do attend, you might hear how it’s only a 2% increase and how it’s setting aside $10,000 to a special reserve for some future capital expense.
If you bother to read the budget what you would find is yes, there is a 2% levy increase and yes they are putting $10,000 into a special reserve.

However, they are also TAKING $26,546 OUT OF RESERVES to balance the budget. So, in fact to make this a responsible and sustainable budget the increase would be over 11%.

You can go online and watch the last River District meeting if you're morbidly curious. You’ll see lots of talk about 2% and adding to reserves when this budget depletes them by about 25%. You’ll hear talk about how a small increase with this budget will mean “maybe we don’t need to in years to come” but you should realized that is a mathematical impossibility when you run a $26,546 deficit!

You’ll also see my attempt at bringing in a balanced, responsible budget based on need and history of expenses. You’ll see me wasting my time.

January 12th at 5:30 you as a DIA member can have your voice heard about this budget or you can continue, as one Board Member put it, being “coddled and handheld”. Your choice.

As for me, I still have a hand in a community venture in the River District but sold my Downtown building and moved my business to Georgian Bluffs. It’s frustrating to sit around a table where people think one avenue deserves the majority of the benefit at the expense of others when you’re an “other”.

Peter Reid is a Director, River District Board of Management and President of Tibbs Management Inc.