ESTEVAN - The City of Estevan is defending the downtown revitalization project that was approved at Monday night's meeting of Estevan city council.
Since council's approval, a petition has been launched by the Concerned Citizens Estevan Sk group, calling for a referendum. The petition would need to have signatures from 10 per cent of the citizens of Estevan; according to the 2021 census, Estevan's population stood at 10,851 residents, so the petition would need more than 1,085 signatures.
The city is receiving $7.75 million through the Canada Coal Transition Initiative, a federally-funded program administered through PrairiesCan.
Mayor Roy Ludwig and city manager Jeff Ward said there has been misrepresentation out there, including the claims that taxes are going up due to the project.
"We understand that some people are being told there's going to be a 20 per cent tax increase and increase to utility bills, and that's simply not true," said Ward.
Ludwig noted that as soon as people are told that taxes are going up, they will instantly be against a project.
"There was a tax increase in the budget. It was not related to this project. We didn't even know we were going to move forward with this project until later," said Ward.
The city is to contribute $1.5 million to replace the undergrounds for those two blocks, which Ludwig said would have to be done in the near future anyways.
City council approved the 2024 budget on Jan. 22. It contained a two per cent property tax increase, the first universal property tax increase in Estevan since 2019.
"The cost of living continues to rise, so after four years of no tax [increases], council decided to go ahead with the two per cent," said Ludwig.
According to a report released at Monday night's meeting, the city received approval for the federal funding on Feb. 29.
The city does not expect to pay down debt this year to ensure it has more than sufficient funds for this project and any other unexpected things that might come up this year.
The city noted it is not free to choose how to spend these funds. If they declined this opportunity, these allocated funds would be awarded to an alternate community for their project.
The timeline for the downtown revitalization construction is based on the warm-weather construction season, providing the city with the opportunity to complete the project before the next cold weather season affects construction.
The city says funding for the project will not be rescinded by a deadline in the 2024 season and would under no circumstances cause a 20 per cent tax increase. The deadline to complete the work is March 31, 2025.
The city also noted from November 2021-April 2022, there were six opportunities for public engagement, with three open houses and three public surveys.
The city also noted businesses have agreed to a plan to strive to minimize any interruptions to their day-to-day business operations throughout construction.
Ludwig said he's not surprised with the response by Concerned Citizens and others to the project, nor is he surprised that they launched a petition.
"With people going out with a petition, obviously they feel strongly against it, for whatever reasons, and probably the biggest reasons we're hearing is tax increases, which is not true," said Ludwig. "So I guess all we're suggesting is people tell the truth and let people decide with the facts."
In a post on his Facebook page, Coun. Travis Frank responded to the claims about tax increases, a rumoured Oct. 31 completion deadline; and the ability to spend grant money elsewhere, such as the hospital. He also pointed out the city offers tax incentives for businesses.
"I'm not going to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't support. I simply ask that people talk about the facts on this project, rather than the angry and false rhetoric that is being spread," Frank said.
"I campaigned twice on the idea of revitalizing our downtown and beautifying our community to make it a more desirable place to live. Cities that have upgraded their downtowns have seen huge improvements in the retail spending, the amount of stores that open, and the quality of life for their residents."
Frank believes that as a community, the city needs to do something to help local businesses downtown survive and thrive.
"Not everyone will agree that this is the way to do that, which is fine, but if we do nothing, we'll never succeed."
