The City of Windsor has handed the Business Improvement Associations back to selected board members, with some new governance rules to follow.
During Monday's meeting, council voted in favour of handing the BIAs back, as well as approved a report from administration with recommendations in terms of transparency, accountability, and uniformity with how the BIAs are governed.
On the day council took over, it was a chance for administration to look over procedural rules for all nine of the associations to ensure that rules were uniformed in terms of manner of selecting board members, the resignation of members, the determination of when a member's seat becomes vacant, the filling of vacancies, how verifications are undertaken, and how financial matters are handled.
Kieran McKenzie, Ward 9 city councillor, says all of the BIAs are in varying sizes and different financially capacities.
"What we're looking for from the city as one of the agencies that supports what they're trying to do on a permanent basis is to have some consistency with respect to the way they report what they're doing from a financial perspective. And also the way that they govern themselves, and in particular, the election process."
He says it's a step forward for everyone included.
"We've approved the slate of electors that they elected in late 2022. But that said, there will be an ongoing conversation with respect to different ways that we can potentially improve the transparency, the governance, and also the uniformity."
McKenzie says he felt that most of those involved in the BIAs were pleased with the changes.
"You never get to a point where you're just finished improving governance structure, for better or for worse. There's always a way to build a better mouse trap. And that conversation is going to be ongoing. That said, what we approved I think is a significant step forward."
Councillor McKenzie asked council to approve a motion to report back for comment and review the results of administrations recommendations to the Windsor Business Improvement Area Advisory Committee.
Council rejected the motion, which McKenzie says he respects, but he thinks it would have been a better process for WBIAAC to look over the recommendations.
The nine BIAs in Windsor consist of the Downtown Windsor BIA, Ford City BIA, Walkerville BIA, Olde Riverside BIA, Sandwich BIA, Ottawa Street BIA, Pillette Village BIA, Erie Street BIA, and the Wyandotte Town Centre BIA.