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Business satisfaction rates strong in city
Kimberley City Council Report
By Nowell Berg
On April 8, City of Kimberley council held its regular bi-monthly meeting.
Councillors Kyle Dalum, Kent Goodwin, Jason McBain, Darryl Oakley and Sandra Roberts were present along with Mayor Don McCormick. Coun. Nigel Kitto was absent.
Business satisfaction strong in city
Since being hired in August 2018, Schaun Goodeve, Manager Economic Development, has been engaged in business retention, expansion and attraction initiatives.
Goodeve undertook a survey of 100 city businesses in order to gather a wide range of data covering satisfaction levels, basic operations and business challenges.
“Over-all the business satisfaction in the city is really quite strong,” he said.
Responding to the question, how satisfied are you with doing business in Kimberley today? Ninety percent of businesses gave a high satisfaction score.
“That is huge, people are extremely, extremely happy,” exclaimed Goodeve.
He added, “The level of satisfaction is better than it was a year ago. We’re seeing a positive increase, there’s optimism in the business community.”
While things are good, business owners are not without challenges. Goodeve said there were three key challenges facing local businesses. First, the availability of housing. Second, the availability of commercial space to rent or lease, and third, the availability of property to purchase.
Summing up business satisfaction, Goodeve said, “They’re doing well, they’re satisfied, they’re happy and feeling positive, that’s fantastic news for us.”
Eighty-three percent (83%) of business owners say their primary market is either Kimberley or the East Kootenay. “There is really, really strong support for our businesses. I think that’s really fantastic.”
Another key finding Goodeve presented to council suggested the notion that Kimberley has a tourist economy is not really true.
His survey found that 77% of businesses report only 25% of revenue comes from tourists. The rest comes from local and area residents. “This tends to tell a different story. A story that we’re meeting local needs first, then tourists.”
The low tourist spend points to the opportunity for local businesses to capture more tourist dollars from the 4,000 plus vehicles traveling the highway everyday.
Fully 23% of businesses surveyed are home-based. The opportunity here, said Goodeve, is “how do we get them out of the house, how do we help them scale up and grow their business.”
In terms of surveyed businesses, 43% said they “plan to expand in the next two years.”
The number of business licenses is “tracking positive” year over year and now sits at 544.
Another example of people wanting and willing to move to Kimberley is the large response to the city’s job posting for a Manager of Communications. By the closing deadline, over 50 people will have applied for the position.
The business survey data will assist Goodeve in targeting economic development dollars where they will be most effective.
Turds on the Trail
Responding to the Bylaw/Animal Control Enforcement Officer’s report of continued dog excrement being left on trails and sidewalks, Coun. Oakley, who has two large dogs, informed council that many doggie-doo stations around town have no plastic bags or have been vandalized. “If we’re going to be in the business of supplying these stations, then we should maintain them,” he said.
When Oakley spoke with dog owners on the trails about why excrement is left behind, he heard the constant reply – ‘there were no plastic bags available.’
Speaking next, Coun. McBain said that answer was a “cop out” by dog owners, adding “it’s getting really bad at the entrance of Rails-to-Trails.”
Coun. Roberts pointed out that dog owners should automatically carry plastic bags. “You got a dog, you need a bag. Just do it. It’s your responsibility. Don’t expect someone else to do it for you,” she tersely stated.
Coun. Dalum added, “Accountability is the issue” noting it “seems to be missing a lot.”
During March, the Bylaw Officer dealt with 23 dog issues ranging from off leash dogs to dogs running at large along with three complaints about vicious dogs.
SunMine – The Highs and Lows
Weather continues to affect the performance of SunMine.
CAO Scott Sommerville’s report to council on Q1 (January to March) generation indicated that January was the “the lowest production month in SunMine’s history.” This affected overall first quarter production, which was “89.5% of projected” but still generated revenues of $38,050 for the city.
On the flip side, March electricity generation was the highest of any March.
| January | February | March | |
| Revenue | $3,952 | $10,570 | $23,527 |
| Mwh | 29.56 | 50.54 | 188.53 |
Sommerville’s report said, “The city continues to work with Teck towards a definitive purchase agreement.”
Kimberley city council meets twice monthly starting at 7 p.m., open to the public.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is April 23.
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