With only one more town council meeting before the Oct. 24 election, there was some minor business to take care of at the Monday Battleford town council meeting.
The town received a letter, dated Sept. 20, from the Battlefords Area Sexual Assault Center. Describing the centre's programs, funding sources, and plans for future programming, the letter was "an application for a financial grant."
Councillor Garth Walls and Mayor Chris Odishaw both noted that the town already provides funding for the United Way, which in turn funds the BASAC, among other organizations. Council also agreed there would be a new mayor and council soon, and decided to defer the matter to them, by putting the idea of contributing to BASAC into budget discussions next year.
The town also passed a resolution committing $200,000 as an "economic development contribution of the service road and Highway 16 intersection projects." Despite some light opposition from outgoing Councillor Donna Lavin, who questioned the amount, the motion passed.
Lavin also expressed some opposition to a bylaw passed by the council giving Kramer construction a five-year tax exemption.
"Two years I can see, but five years?"
Justifying the tax exemption, Odishaw cited Kramer's multimillion dollar contribution to the town, its status as the first build on Gasoline Alley, the fact that it is the first business of its kind in the community and finally its commitment to investing in the local water supply. Lavin's opposition could delay the bill by at most two weeks as long as the rest of council supported it, so she declined to actually vote against it.
The town also recommitted itself to the Opera House renovation project, by signing another fundraising contract with Dean Bauche. Because the town has committed itself to funding the opera house without taking money from taxes, Bauche has worked to acquire funding from all levels of government. The contract the town signed with Bauche will have him paid a commission of five per cent for every grant he arranges for the town, and keeps Bauche as, technically, an independent contractor rather than a town employee.
