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200423 BIA MIN 1 Tillsonburg Business Improvement Area MEETING MINUTES Board Meeting of Thursday, April 23rd, 2020 TELECONFERENCE Time: 10:00 am - noon 1. CALL TO ORDER: Time: 10:04 a.m. QUORUM: 6/9 C. Tomico, D. Gilvesy, M. Tedesco, M. Van Geer Truyde, J. Tilson, D. Rasokas Regrets: A. Hicks, C. Heutinck. W. Cameron Staff present: C. Pepper (Town of Tillsonburg), M. Renaud, K. Slattery Guests present: None 2. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA: a. moved by: J. Tilson seconded by: D. Gilvesy “And resolved that the agenda as prepared for the BIA Board of Management meeting for Thursday, April 23rd, 2020 be adopted”. “CARRIED” 3. DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST AND THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF: NONE DECLARED 4. ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES from the board meeting of March 26th, 2020 a. moved by: M. Tedesco seconded by: M. Van Geer Truyde “And resolved that the minutes, as prepared for the OPEN SESSION meeting of March 26th, 2020 be adopted”. 2 “CARRIED” 5. EVENTS AND MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR’S REPORT: The EMC delivered her report which includes the strategic objectives with crisis communications with the membership. There was a discussion about the online retail supports through Shopify which the BIA has the resources to assist the implementation costs of these with the BIA membership. There were no questions. 6. BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE REPORT & UPDATE: As per previous discussions; the 2020 program will be muted with minimal on-street presence. Signage will be clear about the flowers being donated. The EMC will work to create signs for the pots. Your feedback and suggestions are welcomed. The spring clean-up has already taken place. The ED is still attending the downtown on a daily basis, performing clean-up and maintenance on an as- needed basis. The student labour is on hold until further notice. We are awaiting an update on MOU discussions regarding the proposals to the Town of Tillsonburg as there is no agreement in place as of April 19th for the 2020 calendar year. 7. FINANCIAL REPORT: The ED reviewed the financial report for the month including the suggestions for cost mitigation given the unknown length or potential impact of the pandemic. Funds on deposit at CIBC: as at 03/31/2020: $60,740.74; Funds on deposit at FirstOntario: as at 03/31/2020:$66,688.24; Total funds on hand as of 03/31/2020: $127,428.98. There was a further motion put onto the floor as follows: MOTION ON COST REDUCTION AND CONTAINMENT: Moved by: D. Gilvesy and Seconded by: M. Tedesco “And resolved that the Board of Management of the BIA recognizes the severity of the COVID-19 health crisis and directs the BIA staff to reduce all costs; including human resources until further notice. This includes a reduction across the board with the exception of fixed costs such as debenture payments, truck lease & office rent”. “CARRIED” 8. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT: There are number of housekeeping items to deal with given the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The Turtlefest Committee has cancelled the 2020 event. The ED has been working as an ambassador to assist our members to navigate the government initiatives that have been implemented to deal with the financial changes faced by our BIA constituency. The office remains staffed on a daily basis which provides for appointment-based meetings and feedback. The ED is participating in daily activities including webinars, tele-conferences and e-mail exchanges. The ED confirms that no salary will be paid to the ED given the financial challenges of the BIA and the direction to cut funding for BIA programs. There were no questions. 3 9. BIA EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDING PROGRAM: The ED reviewed that town council had approved the BIA request to approve the use of up to $62,000 of FIP funds for pandemic related recovery projects for the BIA. There were some questions from the Board about what segments of the BIA membership who were thought or are in financial difficulty. 10. MOUD with the Town of Tillsonburg: The ED brought the Board of Management up to date with the ongoing negotiations with the town. At this time, there are no concerns about an agreement being finalized for the 2020 fiscal year. 11. Façade Improvement Program project update: All projects and activities are on-hold pending COVID-19. BIA staff will apprise the board of any requests as an exception to the moratorium on FIP activities. The Board agreed with this position. 12. ROUNDTABLE: Several of the Board Members expressed concern about next steps and the importance of keeping regular meetings going. The Board also expressed support for keeping the vast majority of the BIA programs and initiatives to go forward for implementation for 2020. 13. NEXT MEETING: Thursday, May 21st, 2020 – TIME AND VENUE TBD pending COVID-19. 14. MOTION TO ADJOURN: Time of adjournment: 11:58 am a. moved by: M. Van Geer Truyde b. seconded by: J. Tilson “And resolved that the BIA Board of Management meeting of April 23rd, 2020 be adjourned” “CARRIED”