Estevan city council approved the mill rate factors and the health levy for 2016 during their meeting on Monday night.
Council gave second and third readings to the mill rate factors bylaw, which governs the rates of taxation for residential, commercial and industrial buildings in the city.
The factors for residential buildings are scheduled to increase from .71 to .73, while the commercial figures will decline from 1.61 to 1.58.
The move is expected to reduce Estevan’s “property tax gap” – a calculation from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business that compares residential and commercial property taxes.
Estevan had the second-highest gap in the province at 3.29, with residential property taxes of $1,109 for a property assessed at $200,000, and commercial property taxes of $3,652 for every $200,000 in assessment.
Mayor Roy Ludwig noted they did not receive any complaints about the property tax shift since the bylaw received first reading on May 9.
Residential property owners will incur a five per cent increase on their municipal property tax bills, which would be $162 for a house worth $350,000.
As for the health levy, it will generate about $290,000 this year, with $240,000 going towards the city’s commitment for the new Estevan Regional Nursing Home.
A ratepayer with a home valued at $350,000 will pay $62.48 through the health levy this year.
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Also during the meeting, city clerk Judy Pilloud was appointed as the associate returning officer for the South East Cornerstone Public School Division’s Estevan subdivision election, which will happen Oct. 26.
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Council approved the street closures needed for the triathlon event during the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games in Estevan.
Athletes will start in the pool for the swimming component, and then make use of city streets for the cycling and running competitions.
The cycling competition will use Seventh Street, Souris Avenue, Smith Street, Arthur Avenue, King Street and back down Souris Avenue and Seventh Street. They will complete the loop seven times.
The running contest will use Eighth Street, the pathway that runs parallel with Souris Avenue, and finally Smith Street.
The roads will also be closed during a triathlon qualifier on June 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Council approved several recommendations regarding the upcoming civic election. Candidates will not require a criminal record check, since the background check will only specify if a candidate has a criminal record, and not the nature of the conviction.
Most cities do not require such a background check.
Mail-in ballots will not be used during the election, due to concerns with voter privacy, handling of late ballots and the sparse number of mail-in ballots in the past.
Candidates will also be required to disclose their expenses and campaign contributions.
Also, names will be listed alphabetically on the ballot.
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Small Iron Excavating was awarded a tender for $230,000 for the rehabilitation of five pathways in the city: Royal Heights Veterans’ Memorial Park; Churchill Park; Cactus Park; and two in the Trojan Park area – one near Heritage Drive and the other from Peterson Drive to Rooney Road.
The budgeted amount was $230,000.
Parks manager Rod March noted the pathway at Churchill Park is the top priority, as it is needed the most, followed by the resurfacing at Royal Heights Park. The pathway at Cactus Park will be asphalt along Woodlawn Avenue South to Westview Place; currently the final 50 metres of the pathway is gravel.
It should take about six weeks to complete all five pathways.
A portion of the Royal Heights pathway will be shifted slightly to the west, due to the location of trees that cause problems with the current pathway
