BATTLEFORD ‑‑ Here are some highlights from Tuesday’s Battleford town council meeting, which was the first regular meeting of 2022:
A price reduction is coming for the remaining lots in Battle Springs subdivision.
At their meeting Tuesday, Community Planner Paige Hundt proposed a decrease in the price of the remaining 13 lots by 20 per cent.
The reason cited is a desire to fill up the remaining lots, which would reduce the time Parks and Recreation spends maintaining the lots.
Mayor Ames Leslie noted there is an “inherent cost” to maintaining the empty lots. Also, by filling the empty lots they can collect taxation from them, and potentially plan a new division within the community.
“The lots have been sitting empty with … no interest in the 10 years I’ve been around,” said Leslie. He said it was time to “get somebody in them and get houses built on them.”
The price reduction is not considered out of line. Hundt noted three lots had been sold in 2020 with a 15 per cent discount offered at that time. Also, she noted “the lots are priced quite high as it is.”
Town council liked the idea of filling up the remaining lots in the subdivision, and voted unanimously in favour of the price reduction.
The town of Battleford has directed administration to issue a request for proposals from qualified firms for general accounting and auditing services. Leslie said that will be sent out soon and council will review the applications that result.
Council also voted in favour of cancelling insurance services from SUMAssure provided by Aon Risk Solutions, instead adopting the SGI insurance policy provided by Westland Insurance Group Ltd. for 2022.
Chief Administrative Officer Ash Alam noted at the meeting that the town faced a 20 per cent increase from SUMAssure on three weeks notice. He said Westland Insurance was “very efficient” in putting a policy together through SGI Canada.
The main point in favour of the changeover is that the town will be saving money on insurance. Alam reported the new insurance will cost $69,000 less than the current policy.
“$69,000 in our pockets is better than somebody else’s,” was the comment of Councillor David George, who was one of several councillors enthusiastic about the change. The motion carried unanimously.
