ESTEVAN - Estevan city council passed several recommendations related to rental rates for city facilities and equipment during the Dec. 9 meeting.
In a correspondence to council, leisure services manager Erin Wilson wrote the city has long supported various community events, such as the Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins Sportsman’s Dinner, the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation's Festival of Trees, and the Estevan Comprehensive School's graduation ceremony. Many of these events have requested and received reduced rates or complimentary items.
"While we value the role these events play in enriching our community, it is essential to ensure that the city’s contributions – both financial and in terms of staff resources – are appropriately recognized and managed to sustain these services effectively," Wilson wrote.
In recent years, Wilson said council has approved discounted rates for several user groups, with reductions ranging from $1,000 to nearly $5,000. The city incurs significant costs when providing setup and takedown support for events, including casual and full-time custodial staff, maintenance employees, arena technicians, parks workers, beverage staff and management.
Council has previously established commercial and non-profit rates, Wilson said, but the practical application of these rates and associated staff time has exceeded expectations.
On occasion, Wilson said the city has provided staff time and equipment for off-site use at no cost. These instances can create financial implications and operational challenges for staff and equipment management.
Facility users have borrowed city equipment and returned it themselves. While this reduces transportation time, staff members are still required to manage, clean and repair these items upon return. Increasing awareness of these practices has led to more frequent requests, creating an additional strain on resources.
Council accepted four recommendations: re-evaluating the current fee structure to better reflect actual costs and ensure fairness to all user groups; maintaining fee consistency across user groups; limiting the off-site use of city staff and equipment; and establishing rental rates for equipment.
Coun. Shelly Veroba said the second recommendation will establish consistency, which is something to strive for.
Coun. Kirsten Walliser wanted to know about difficulties that have occurred with events under the present model. Wilson said she wanted the new council to know what is happening.
"There is a lot of manpower that can go into some of these requests. Those rental rates are based on those minimum numbers to just cover the cost of hours and to be able to use our staff in the most efficient way possible," Wilson said.
If a group says it will be there at 4 p.m. but doesn't show up until 4:30 p.m., then it has an impact on taxpayers.
"Having that consistency and predictability means that we can save those overtime costs and the impact on the employees," Wilson said.
Council did not approve the possibility for direct donations to organizations.
"We're looking at consistency, we're looking at limiting off-site use, and we're looking at establishing rental rates for both the fee structure and equipment," said Veroba.
Earlier in the meeting, council received a request from the Estevan Comprehensive School to reduce the rental rate of Affinity Place for the school's graduation ceremony, slated for June 14, 2025.
The Comp. wanted a reduction in the rental fee from $7,800 to $3,900 to reduce its expenses. The school asked for the rate to continue through 2029, which would extend beyond the current council's term.
Council members expressed concern about leaving the next council with this decision.
Walliser noted the grads have been planning for about six months, so to change what they are paying puts them at a disadvantage. She also pointed out they're able to rent the facility for a day, but Affinity Place becomes unavailable for more than just grad day.
Council approved the rate for this year, but not the fee associated with future years.
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