Norfolk County Council has voted 5–4 to defer a final decision on the proposed Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT), directing staff to provide more detailed information before moving forward.
The discussion came as council revisited its earlier approval “in principle” of the MAT, which would apply to short-term overnight stays of 30 days or less, including hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and short-term rentals.
During this week’s meeting, council pulled the MAT item from the February 10 Council-in-Committee minutes for further debate.
Following that discussion, councillors approved a motion introduced by Councillor Chris Van Paassen directing staff to bring back additional information before any implementation decision is made.
Specifically, council has asked staff to provide more details about a potential short-term rental by-law, including staffing and budget impacts, along with a clearer business case outlining governance and financial considerations. A decision on implementing the MAT will now be deferred until council is satisfied with that information.
The motion to defer passed in a narrow 5–4 vote.
Mayor Amy Martin spoke strongly against the deferral, reiterating her support for the tax and arguing that the concerns raised by councillors were already addressed in the original staff recommendation.
She continued, expressing frustration that the deferral means the MAT would once again be pushed further down the road.
The debate lasted more than an hour and a half and was preceded by three deputations. Each speaker voiced support for the concept of the MAT, while also outlining specific concerns they wanted council to consider.
Voting in favour of the deferral were councillors Chris Van Paassen, Mike Columbus, Tom Masschaele, Kim Huffman, and Doug Brunton.
Opposed were Mayor Amy Martin, Deputy Mayor Adam Veri, and councillors Alan Duthie and Linda Vandendriessche.
A full recording of the meeting is available on the county’s website, with the MAT debate beginning at approximately the 46-minute mark and concluding around the 2-hour and 8-minute mark.