Leslie Richardson pleaded her case at the recent Smiths Falls Committee of the Whole Meeting for more funding to run Visitor Services at Victoria Park.
They entered an agreement in 2022 to do so for $12,000 per year, which the Chamber of Commerce’s executive director reminded council at the time they didn’t feel like it was enough.
Now with inflationary pressures she says they’re terribly underfunded, but that’s not the only issue they’re dealing with.
The chamber is asking for $45,000 for 2024 staffing and $5,000 for operational expenses.
Richardson would also like to explore a similar route taken by the Carleton Place Chamber of Commerce.
The town’s economic development department will sit down with the Chamber to devise a working strategy for this year.
Story by Grant Deme
