WEYBURN – The city is moving forward with taking a long-delinquent property after council approved a request from City Manager Mathew Warren to proceed with the Consent of Title transfer.
During Monday’s meeting, council voted in favour of the recommendation, allowing the city to take ownership of the property, which has been in tax enforcement since May 25, 2023. The last tax payment on the property was made in July 2021, and the water service has been shut off since March 2019.
Coun. Ryan Janke questioned whether the property is considered abandoned given the lack of communication from the owner.
“There is nobody living at the property,” confirmed a city employee.
The city says it has followed all required steps in the tax enforcement process, including sending multiple notices to the homeowner with no response. The provincial mediation board was contacted on June 27, 2024, but attempts to reach the owner were unsuccessful.
On April 16, the board granted the city consent to take final application of title. A final 30 day notice was sent on May 11, 2025, but again, no response was received.
Under the approved motion, the city will now transfer the land title into its name and have one year to sell the property. Proceeds from the sale will first go toward covering outstanding property taxes. If the sale price doesn’t meet the tax debt, the city will put the property up for tender. Any surplus funds would be returned to the original homeowner – if they can be located.
“If we can’t get a hold of them, we just hold on to [the surplus] for a year, and then it goes back into the city,” said city administration.
