Original story - 4:19 p.m. Sault Ste. Marie's Downtown Association has been spared the axe, SooToday.com has learned. The city has finished tabulating results from a petition to dissolve the Downtown Association.

Original story - 4:19 p.m.

Sault Ste. Marie's Downtown Association has been spared the axe, SooToday.com has learned.

The city has finished tabulating results from a petition to dissolve the Downtown Association.

SooToday is advised that not enough petitions were received from business and property owners to force dissolution of the 39-year-old business improvement area.

The petition campaign was spearheaded by Dominic Ruscio, owner of the Day's Inn and Suites at 332 Bay Street.

The Downtown Association's response was spearheaded by its new manager, Duane Moleni (shown).

The city is expected to make an announcement shortly.

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4:33 p.m. update

NEWS RELEASE

CITY OF SAULT STE. MARIE

Unofficial Results – Downtown Business Improvement Area



SAULT STE. MARIE, ON - Unofficial results of a petition to repeal the city’s Bylaw 76-419 establishing a downtown business improvement area indicate that there are both insufficient requests to repeal the bylaw and that the requests received do not meet the requirement to represent at least 50 percent of the municipal taxation in the area.



The Municipal Act prescribes that requests to repeal the bylaw need to be received from at least one-half of the total number of persons entitled to notice.

One hundred and fifty-three parties were entitled to notice.

Sixty-seven requests were received; therefore, this threshold was not met.

The act also requires that those who have signed requests must represent at least 50 percent of the general municipal taxes (in the business property classes) in the business improvement area.

Total general municipal taxation (in the business property classes) in the downtown business improvement area is $1,317,125.94.

The requests to repeal the by-law represent $625,056.60 or 47.46 percent.

The taxation threshold was therefore not met.

Official results regarding the petition to repeal the bylaw establishing the Queenstown Business Improvement Area will be reported to council at the September 14, 2015 city council meeting.

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Earlier SooToday coverage of this story