Water and sewer utility payments for households and businesses in Warman are expected to rise by $5.00 per month later this spring.
Warman City Council gave first reading at its meeting on Monday, February 27 to a bylaw that would implement a Waste Water Infrastructure flat rate levy of $5 per month to water and sewer utility bills.
The proposed $5 levy would become effective May 1, 2023 if council votes to approve second and third reading of the bylaw at its next meeting on Monday, March 13.
The new flat rate infrastructure levy is a separate fee that would be added to all water bills.
The current monthly water and sewer rates, which came into effect January 1, 2023, will remain unchanged. The current water rates include a minimum charge of $48.26 for 1,750 gallons or less; and a rate of $27.58 per 1,000 gallons for consumption over 1,750 gallons.
According to a report tabled at the February 27 council meeting by the city administration, the new infrastructure levy is needed to help cover ongoing operational costs at the recently-expanded and updated municipal sewage lagoon.
The larger lagoon capacity requires the use of new aeration equipment and SAGR blowers. The innovative SAGR system allows wastewater to be treated effectively even during the winter. The system consists of a clean stone bed on the bottom of the lagoon that is fully aerated, allowing water to flow through the substrate while a layer of insulating mulch at the surface that prevents ice formation in the bed.
10-YEAR CAPITAL PLAN
Warman City Council gave approval at its February 27 meeting to an updated 10-year capital plan for the municipality. The plan, which lays out capital investment priorities for the coming decade, includes several big-ticket projects. Among the priorities are a rebuild of Lift Station #3 at a cost of $3,521,000, scheduled for this calendar year; and a rebuild of Lift Station #1, with a price tag of $3,700,000. Funds for those projects will come from the Sewage Lagoon Reserve and the Sewage Lagoon and Utility Reserves.
REGIONAL RESILIENCE
SPECIALIST
Warman City Council voted at its February 27 meeting to approve a one-year deal with the City of Saskatoon to utilize the services of a Regional Resilience Specialist, whose role is to assist communities with their Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) planning and preparations.
The one-year agreement essentially continues an arrangement that began as a pilot project in 2020, when the City of Saskatoon began providing Regional Resilience Specialist services to Warman and seven other communities in the region for a fee of $45,000 per year. Warman’s share of that fee amounted to $10,000. The fee will remain unchanged.
Adrian Waskewitch has served in the Regional Resilience Specialist position for the past two years during the pilot project phase. He will continue in that role.
RINK EXPANSION GRANT:
Warman City Council voted at its February 27 meeting to apply for federal and provincial funding for the proposed expansion of the Warman Home Centre Communiplex.
The grant application is being submitted under second intake for the federal government’s new Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program. The program cover investments in green and accessible retrofits, repairs, and upgrades to improve existing community buildings, as well as the construction of new publicly-accessible community buildings. Provincial, territorial, and local governments, not-for-profit and Indigenous organizations can apply for funding with a total eligible cost ranging from $3 million to $25 million for upgrades to existing community buildings or new buildings.
The Warman Home Centre Communiplex expansion project is estimated to cost between $12.49 million and $13.5 million. It would include the addition of an official-sized ice surface, spectator seating, lounge, dressing rooms, storage and mechanical rooms. The expanded structure, which would be built onto and attached to the north end of the current building, would utilize the existing ice plant.