“They did an absolutely amazing job, and it was wonderful to see organizations out, and all the people and all the kids,” she said. “I give a lot of credit to the residents, because they really stepped up, and they really embraced the week.” Mayor Marcel Roy agreed, saying the city looks really good now, particularly with the rain helping everything to green up. Coun. Ryan Janke, who had a challenge going with Coun. Laura Morrissette for the cleanup week, conceded that her team did a better job than his did. “My team got out there and did our very best, but she and her team outperformed us,” he said.
Development officer Janine Fletcher noted this area is zoned for the Riverfront Market, with permitted uses including art gallery, clinic, confectionary store, fast food outlet, museum, restaurant, retail store or studio, with discretionary uses including such uses as an auditorium, bakery shop, licensed restaurant, business office or a personal service establishment. The intent is to complement the parkway theme as the area is next to the Souris River and the boardwalk, designed to attract travelers on Highway 39 to come into the city and visit. The Official Community Plan states that, as part of the Tatagwa Parkway Master Plan, this area “along the Souris River between the Soo Line Historical Museum and Government Road is the ‘heart of urban Weyburn’. It has a prominent profile from the highway and is the first impression most visitors receive of Weyburn.”
The recommendation was to raise the mill rates for agricultural and railway properties, and on residential properties, and to lower the commercial mill rate. The result will be, for a commercial property with an assessment of $300,000, a decrease of $13.70, and for a residential property with an assessment of $300,000, there will be an increase of about 97 cents. Coun. Jeff Richards said he would vote in favour of this move as 2020 was a very difficult year for the business community, and 2021 might be even harder. “A $13.70 decrease isn’t going to make much difference, and it might not, but what’s important is it’s not an increase. The message to the business community is, ‘don’t worry about your taxes going up this year, we’re going to hold fast on that’,” said Coun. Richards, adding the message to the province’s business community is that Weyburn is open for business, and in spite of tough times, they are lowering taxes for businesses.
(Photos: City of Weyburn for turf photo, @treavortuff for exterior photo) The City of Weyburn is on schedule and on budget with the construction of their recreation and culture centre, the Credit. . .