Notes from the Clinton council meeting of June 7
Clinton council considered a request from the Clinton Museum to be the sole retailer of village-branded merchandise. A letter from museum president Janice Maurice stated the museum is attempting to be as self-sufficient as possible, and its budget includes significant revenue from merchandise sales.
As the Village of Clinton is not allowed to make a profit from souvenir sales, the letter suggested that having the museum as the sole retailer of merchandise would allow it to mark up items and make a modest profit.
CAO Murray Daly said while the village cannot profit from the sale of services such as water, there is nothing preventing the village from making a profit from the sale of merchandise, although he added that they usually sell items at more or less cost.
Mayor Susan Swan said she did not see how the museum could be the “sole retailer” of Clinton-branded merchandise, adding people who came to the village office to purchase items were locals, while people visiting the museum were largely tourists: “It’s two different markets.”
Coun. Sandi Burrage noted there would be a disparity if the museum marked up items to make a profit while the village sold them at cost.
However, Coun. Christine Rivett said the more village-branded merchandise out there the better in terms of advertising Clinton. Allowing the museum to mark up items and make a profit was fine, she said, as long as they were not selling for $45 a T-shirt the village was selling for $15: “There should be some control there.”
“The whole idea of swag is to get your name out there,” said Coun. David Park, adding that if people want to shop around for the best price on an item that’s fine.
Rivett suggested staff be directed to find out what sort of merchandise the museum was looking for, noting that this season they might prefer to sell existing village-branded items rather than spend money purchasing their own items, given the uncertainty as to what this tourist season will look like.
Council passed a motion to allow the museum to sell Village of Clinton-branded merchandise, but not as the sole retailer of said merchandise, and to revisit the situation after the summer of 2021.
Bike rally at Reg Conn Park
Clinton RCMP asked for use of Reg Conn Park, and the waiving of the rental fee, for a bike rally from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 19. The letter cited the Clinton RCMP’s endeavours to maintain a positive relationship with all residents of the community. The bike rally for the children and youth of Clinton is expected to attract as many as 30 participants. Council passed a motion allowing the bike rally, provided it followed all COVID-19 protocols.
Clinton Fire Department elections
Council received a report announcing the results of the Clinton volunteer fire department election on April 12. Wayne Walch will retain his post as chief, while Karl Hansen will continue to be deputy chief and training office. Captains are Bernie Nieuwenhuis and Jordan Lawrence and secretary-treasurer: Drew Taylor.
editorial@accjournal.caLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
