By Greg Nikkel
The City of Weyburn was able to maintain their services with “moderate taxes” through 2015, in spite of the economic downturn that has hit the oil industry, said Mayor Debra Button in her annual “State of the City” address to start off the new year at the city council meeting on Monday evening.
In her address, she noted that “in spite of the economic downturn”, the City issued 84 building permits in 2015 worth $10,544,650.
In addition, the City partnered with the Young Fellows Club of Weyburn to have the paddling pool in the Don Mitchell Tot Lot replaced, with the goal to have it ready for July 1, 2016.
Also, in support of municipal heritage, in September the City agreed to take on the operations of the Soo Line Historical Museum as of the new year.
City residents are also excited to be named as hosts for the upcoming Esso Cup national championship for midget girls hockey in April, with the Gold Wings as the host team at Crescent Point Place.
Some of the improvements made over the past year included the work on the Government Road bridge adjacent to Highway 39, along with improvements to the storm sewer system, such as along 16th Street, to handle any future torrential rainfalls.
The mayor also noted there were also improvements made to improve the quality of the drinking water, which will continue into 2016. She pointed out that there will be a pilot study in the coming year for a new filtering system at the treatment plant “to see if we can further improve the quality of the water, within the bounds of fiscal prudence.”
The city was also able to buy a new ladder truck for the Fire Department, a new packer for the city landfill, and a packer for public works for street paving purposes, along with upgrades at the airport.
Mayor Button noted the city entered the Communities in Bloom contest at a non-competitive level for the first time since the flooding of 2011, which she felt was an important gesture for the city to show how it’s recovered from that disaster, achieving four blooms, only a few points shy of the highest level of five blooms.
Acknowledging the City had a slight tax increase in 2016, Mayor Button said Weyburn “remains in an enviable position” compared to other cities in the province, as Weyburn was ranked by the Canadian Federation for Independent Business (CFIB) as No. 4 for keeping the gap between residential and commercial taxes down. She noted a few years ago, Weyburn had been ranked 12th in this category.
In addition, Weyburn is No. 3 for having the lowest taxes, “without shifting the tax burden to home-owners, and without sacrificing public services,” said the mayor.
Mayor Button said businesses are still growing in Weyburn, although at a slower pace than before, and public services are also growing while the city strives to operate within their means.
“We are no longer at the mercy of resource prices,” said Mayor Button, as the city has achieved sustainable growth.
In a report from the Parks Board, the board was given an update on a concept drawing for the proposed post office bell monument by Coun. Winston Bailey.
The structure, which will display the bell recovered from Weyburn’s old post office, was a symbol of Weyburn’s 100th year as a city marked in 2013, and will be located on the green space just south of City Hall.
The board approved the concept plans, and Coun. Bailey will now get cost estimates for building the monument.
The board also heard more information about the proposed disc golf facility which is proposed for Jubilee Park and-or River Park, with an estimated cost of $4-6,000, depending on the model used.
Plans are also ongoing for the upcoming Winterfest event, set for Family Day, Monday, Feb. 15, with the Scouts lined up to help with the snowshoeing activity. Volunteer instructors for the cross-country skiing are still being sought for the event.
Council gave approval to Lubrizol Oilfield Solutions Canada to operate a chemical storage site from an existing facility at 1745 Railway Avenue.
The company’s proposed facility was approved after reviews were done of the material safety data sheets and of the company’s emergency response plan and risk assessment, which all meet local and provincial standards.
The approval comes with a number of conditions, including that the volume of stored materials on-site must not exceed 4,000 litres at any time, and that no waste materials be returned to the site.
The emergency response plan is to be updated regularly, with up-to-date spill kits to be kept on-site, and any changes to the plan are to be submitted to the city and Fire Department.
