Hess Village bar owner supports shared policing costs compromise

A prominent business owner in Hess Village says the proposal to share policing costs for the entertainment district is a compromise he can live with.

Dean Collett, co-owner of Sizzle/Koi Diavolo, launched a lawsuit over Hess Village bar and restaurant owners havingto pay out of pocket for extra policing that is currently on hold. He likes Coun. Jason Farr's idea which Farr will pitch on May 19 that the city pay 65 per cent of the costs.

Colletthas been one of the most vocal critics of the requirement to pay the extra policing costs and saysHess Village is still the only district in Canada that pays for police like that.Farr'smotion won't eliminate those costs, butwill help.

"It's a compromise we can live with," he said.

The current model causes businesses in our district great hardship financially and is not sustainable.- Dean Collett, Hess Village business owner

"The current model causes businesses in our district great hardship financially and is not sustainable," he said.

Hess Village business owners pay for paid duty policing in an area known for partying and large crowds. But owners such as Collett argue that attendance and business is down, and they can't afford the current model.

• Farr wants taxpayers to help pay for Hess Village policing costs
• City should pay Hess Village policing costs: Coun. Farr

Farr estimates it would cost the city about $70,000 per year to pay 65 per cent of the costs. He proposes a four-year pilot program, with the money coming from a reserve. He'll bring the issue to a planning committee meeting on May 19, and wants to see the cost-share in place by the May 24 weekend.

At least two councillors say they have more questions before they'd approve thepilot project.

Volunteers who hold special events in Hamilton, such as the Winona Peach Festival, pay for paid duty officers for their events, Coun. Brenda Johnson of Ward 11said. "It's like $15,000a weekend tohave people on site to watch people eat their ice cream sundaes, that doesn't come out of (taxpayers') pockets."

Coun. ChadCollins of Ward 5has a lot of questions too. If crowds are dwindling at Hess Village, the crime isn't, he said.

"Ten or15 years ago, it was an area where a lot of office workers would visit for lunch and all the patios were almost to capacity with people in business suits and dresses," he said. "Now it's morphed into a nightclub scene."

• Hamilton police ACTION team still can't crack Hess Village

Collett isn't the only business owner who has protested the paid duty fee. SeveralHess Village bar owners have gone before the city's licensing tribunal in recent years over unpaid paid duty fees, including Social Bar and Nightclub, The Gown and Gavel, Viva, Ceilidh House, Hush, Che and Sizzle/Koi.

As far as crime, figures from Hamilton Police in recent years show that despite efforts, the police service's ACTION team has failed to curb the number of late-night disturbances in Hess Village.

samantha.craggs@cbc.ca | @SamCraggsCBC