ESTEVAN - Estevan city council members' financial compensation will continue to be tied to Saskatchewan MLA salaries.
In a report to council, city clerk Judy Pilloud said the previous council established a formula to tie the wages of mayor and councillor to a percentage of MLA salaries, eliminating the need for an evaluation process. The city previously had a committee that met well before the election to determine council wages.
The mayor's salary will be set at 55 per cent of the MLA base salary and adjusted annually. Councillor stipends will be at one-third of the mayor's wage.
Mayor and councillors will be paid a full-day per diem or a half-day per diem for attending any business on behalf of the city that requires that individual to take time off from work. The member will also be compensated for attending between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. for meetings and approved conferences.
Committee meetings do not qualify for reimbursement unless out-of-town travel is required.
Per diem rates are established as 2 1/2 times the rate of the Saskatchewan minimum wage.
If the mayor misses more than three meetings in a calendar year, he will be docked $400, while a councillor would be docked $200. This excludes meetings missed due to personal or family illness, if a member is away on council business or has a leave approved under the council absence policy.
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Council approved several chemical plant tenders for the water treatment plant.
Border Chemical Company Ltd. was awarded the aluminum sulphate tender plant for $104,370, or $497 per tonne; ClearTech Inc. was awarded the liquid chorine tender for $44,189.04 ($2.32 per kilogram) and the potassium permanganate (KMnO4) tender for $15,592.50 ($5.94 per kilogram); and KlearWater received the ammonium sulphate tender for $18,270 ($3.48 per kilogram) and the hydrofluosilicic acid (fluoride) tender for $15,996.96 ($3.68 per kilogram).
Matthew Angell, the water and wastewater services manager for the city, noted in his report the aluminum sulphate was down 2.7 per cent, chlorine dropped 0.8 per cent, KMnO4 decreased 12.5 per cent and ammonium sulphate declined 3.3 per cent, while fluoride was up 5.8 per cent.
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Council approved a new policy for tax enforcement fees and timelines. City assessor Trina Sieben said the document will establish and set a procedure, outline charges associated with each enforcement step, and maintain the most effective method of tax collection, while keeping a reasonable payment schedule for Estevan residents.
The policy is regulated by three provincial acts.
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Turnbull Excavating was awarded the crushed reclaimed asphalt tender for $96,658.80. The work involves crushing recycled asphalt chunks to one-inch gravel sand that will be stockpiled in the city maintenance yard.
Hayley DeConinck, the city's roads and drainage manager, said the roads and drainage division uses reclaimed asphalt for a variety of different jobs, including temporary dust control in back alleys, dig sites and gravel roads. She also noted the material packs well in the summer months, creating a good base.
"This material will last many years as there is a large amount to be crushed. The last time it was crushed was 2018," she said.
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Two building permits worth $670,000 were issued in November, bringing the total for the year to 41 permits worth $9,968,257.
One permit for November was a commercial project worth $550,000, while the other was a miscellaneous permit worth $120,000.
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Coun. Shelly Veroba and Coun. Matthew Dubowski asked about garbage pickup during the inquiries portion of the meeting. Veroba noted there have been delays with pickup recently and she wanted to know how these issues are communicated to affected ratepayers.
Dubowski asked about garbage bin replacements. Some people have told him they wait nearly a year before having their bins replaced. He was told there has been a spike in bin replacements, and GFL Environmental was struggling to keep pace.
He wanted to know if there was anything GFL could do to expedite the process. City manager Jeff Ward said any cart replacement issues should be forwarded to the company, and the issue can be brought up during contract renewal.
