MOOSOMIN — Moosomin municipal candidates and local residents filled the Nutrien Sportsplex on Nov. 4 for a candidates forum, hosted by the Moosomin Chamber of Commerce. The municipal election in Moosomin has three people running for mayor and 11 for council.
“We’re here to engage with the community and hear from those who wish to represent us in the upcoming election,” said Kevin Weedmark of the Chamber. “This is a really good opportunity for each of you to learn about the candidates’ visions and priorities, and to learn about the issues that really matter in Moosomin.”
Vying to become mayor are incumbent Larry Tomlinson, current Councillor Murray Gray and John Turnbull. Seeking re-election on council are Greg Nosterud, Kylas Fingas, and Garry Towler while Steven Gillis, Victor Santos Cardoza, Hugh Auchstaetter, Todd Norgan, Andie Hodgson, Ed Blondeau, Heather Truman, and Devin Nosterud round out the list of candidates.
“The fact that all of you are here tonight tells me something,” Weedmark said. “It tells me that you care about the future of your community and your participation in the electoral process is absolutely crucial. This election is your chance to shape the future of Moosomin, our future development, our infrastructure and our community services. I always tell people how proud I am of Moosomin and the fact that we have three candidates for mayor and 11 candidates from council, that really tells you something about this community.”
Approximately 140 people were in attendance for the forum. Auchstaetter was not able to be in attendance at the forum, citing previous commitments preventing his attendance.
“I think we’re pretty blessed to have the amount of candidates we have,” agreed moderator Kristjan Hebert. “It’s become way too normal to see election by acclamation and way too many of us have went to the polls, maybe specifically federally in the last few years, just voting on who’s less awful over who’s good. In Moosomin, we’re really blessed. You have a number of candidates here that I think can all be really good.”
Each candidate was given five minutes for introductions, and 90 seconds to answer questions from Chamber members.
Here’s some of what each candidate said during their introductions, beginning with the mayoral candidates:
Larry Tomlinson
Larry Tomlinson has been mayor for the past 12 years, and served as councillor previous to that role starting in 2006.
“During this time period, the town has had some very good years and welcomed many new residents,” he said. “I firmly believe that even better years are yet to come and a lot more growth.”
Tomlinson listed some of the major projects he’s had the privilege of witnessing and being a part of over those many year including the expansion of municipal boundaries in 2008, the new hospital, construction of the MCC Centre, the partnership with the Moosomin Airport project, and the $13.7 million water treatment plant project
A member of the Healthcare Committee, Tomlinson pointed to the position Moosomin enjoys with having 14 doctors, plus two more coming in July.
“We will have 16 doctors, and we’re very proud of that,” he said, adding that work continues with the provincial government for Moosomin on CT scanner.
Murray Gray
A lifelong resident, Gray began by crediting those in attendance for their interest. “It’s a real pleasure to see such a big crowd and to see so many people engaged in our local politics,” he said. “It says a lot about the people in our community that you want to come out and listen to what we ought to say. So that’s awesome.”
Whatever the result of the Nov. 13 election, Gray is confident that the process will yield the best people for the job.
“We’re going to have the best six councillors and the best mayor, according to you,” Gray said. “So today is a job interview for me. I’m interviewing for the most important job I probably had my entire life.”
Transparency and continuing with economic development were two key areas Gray is focused on. If elected, he would hold public meetings in the spirit of transparency.
“Once a year we’ll get up in front of you, we’ll answer your questions, because I think it’s important in order to be transparent,” Gray said. “I want to continue with economic development. I’ve been the chair for six years, and I think we’ve accomplished some pretty good things. There’s still work to do, we’ll keep working on that.”
John Turnbull
A Moosomin resident for 14 years, Turnbull would like to see some changes.
“I’m running because I see some of the problems that are faced by companies that try to come to town and develop property and do things here,” he said, vowing his first action would be to hold an audit of town spending in search of cost-saving areas for taxpayers.
“It would be very nice to see us get a reduction in property taxes,” Turnbull stated.
After learning that the town spent more than $960,000 on paving over the past year, Turnbull would like to establish a local paving crew that could not only service Moosomin, but other municipalities in the southeast.
“If we had our own paving equipment and our own trained paving crew, not only could we reduce the cost dramatically for paving our own roads, but we can take this crew and move it out to the other small towns, like Maryfield, Redvers, Esterhazy, Rocanville, and that would probably reduce our cost of paving our own roads to zero, or at least that would be the goal is try to reduce those costs,” he said.
Another item Turnbull would like to see is walking access connecting establishments north of the railway tracks with the downtown core.
“I do think that what we need is a safe sidewalk from the three big hotels all the way to the downtown district, so that people of my age can walk from the hotels where they’re staying for short term and get up to our downtown district and spend money,” he said.
Turnbull is also hoping to build a grocery store, which is another gap he sees in town. Other proposals he has include a dog park and a medical health research building. He also addressed the urgent need for increased daycare spaces. “The biggest emergency I see is that we need daycare spaces,” said Turnbull. “Getting this daycare funded and built would be my number one priority,” he concluded.
Devin Nosterud
Nosterud says he’s running to represent the interests of young families and long-term residents as well.
“After high school, I moved around a bit, while acquiring my career in plumbing, and gasfitting,” he said. “As soon as I received my Journeyman ticket, I knew Moosomin would be the best place for me to start my business and raise my family.”
The Nosteruds returned to Moosomin in 2010 with the town supporting his business for 11 years, and it was through working shoulder to shoulder with town crews that Nosterud gained valuable experience.
“While in business, I worked alongside the Town of Moosomin crew on projects involving our infrastructure,” he explained. “Not only do I have the knowledge of the applied work, but also have skills of management of people and the jobs themselves. With these skills, I have the knowledge and discipline to make sure the funds are allocated to the right causes. I can spot the difference between the right decision and the decision right now.”
Heather Truman
For Truman, local business is a strong passion, having operated one for the past 34 years in Moosomin. No stranger to the council table, she notes more involvement in the economic development of the town as a large motivator in running for a seat.
One area Truman is especially keen on is the transition of local businesses as there are some entrepreneurs in town who simply do not have a plan once they retire.
“I would like to, through the Economic Development Committee, have myself and maybe another business owner recruit potential young entrepreneurs to take over some of these existing businesses,” Truman explained. “In order to accomplish this, I would like to hold some town halls in the area and in Moosomin to meet with and encourage potential entrepreneurs to look at Moosomin and some of the businesses available in our town.”
In addition to offering valuable information to the prospective new owners, Truman envisions the support of the Chamber and Community Builders Alliance, with perhaps the possibility of a tax incentive for new commercial buildings form the town.
Todd Norgan
Listing several local organizations that he’s been a part of, Norgan noted a good chunk of his inspiration to run for council came from his mother, Ann, who was a councillor for 18 years.
“I’ve always been proud of Moosomin and where we come from, and I just want Moosomin to continue to grow, and I respect preserving the past but growing our future,” he said. “I’ve spent countless hours organizing, volunteering and being part of different organizations, but I can’t imagine doing anything else than running for council.”
Norgan is an active Mason, Shriner, was one of the founding members of the Moosomin Generals, Rodeo Committee member, and was president of the SADD group in high school.
But perhaps his most important volunteer role drew a few chuckles from the crowd.
“I know most of you might know this, I’ve been Santa Claus for this community and area for over 21 years!” Norgan said.
Steven Gillis
Sometimes an outside view can be crucial to decision making, and that’s what Gillis is counting on.
“We came to the area for a job opportunity, but we stayed here for the community,” said the 10-year resident. “In an attempt to give back to the town that we come to call home, I’m running for town council.”
Gillis is no stranger to small-town life, having spent that majority of his time in Killarney and Swan River.
“When we were moving from Manitoba to this part of Saskatchewan, we spent a considerable amount of time deciding which of the towns were going to call home,” he said. “Ultimately, we moved to Moosomin because of the services and potential that we saw here, and we’ve been very happy with that decision.”
Growth, optimism, and a sense of togetherness were huge themes that Gillis found unique to Moosomin.
“I’ve seen firsthand the challenges and decisions communities this size face, and have personal experience with moving to and establishing ourselves in the area,” he said. “Combine those experiences with the experience of other council members, and I feel my perspective can provide value to the community, looking to grow and attract others to the area.”
Diversity is the key to success, in Gillis’ view, which he’d like to see reflected around the council table.
“There are six council positions available. It’s my view that we should get as many different perspectives available,” he said. “We should get as many different perspectives as possible, helped by individuals who are able and willing to work with each other for the betterment of all members of Moosomin.”
Garry Towler
“My biggest push that I’d like to see for council is a strategic plan,” Towler said. “We’ve had three or four done. It’s very hard to get somebody to do a quality strategic plan for things.”
Through his research of the 2014 plan, there were four items highlighted including the airport and water treatment projects that have been tackled.
There are some future projects that Towler would like to see happen in the short term as well.
“We need a new school, big time hospital expansion, get our bypass done, some of the infrastructure and the daycare,” he listed.
Andie Hodgson
A resident of Moosomin for 13 years, Hodgson has been very active in the community in numerous volunteer positions.
“My reason for running for council is my interest in supporting and helping continue to grow the community I love,” she explained. “I am committed to representing the interests of our residents and development initiatives our council already has in place.”
Hodgson feels her two decades of experience in the financial industry will be a great asset to council.
Victor Santos Cardoza
At 20 years old, Santos Cardoza is already a seasoned member of council. He served two years as Junior councillor, and is eager to return. As Santos Cardoza explained, his main motivator is to give back to the community that helped his family so much. When faced with deportation, the community rallied around his family—a kindness Santos Cardoza will never forget.
“Ever since that day, I sought out and I’ve had the compassion and the passion of giving back and contributing to the very community that gave everything, and I mean everything, for me to stay and for me to further my career and my life,” he said.
An important aspect for Santos Cardoza is involving younger people in municipal politics, and being a bridge between generations and backgrounds in Moosomin.
“I think it’s an important topic that the young generation should be having—getting involved,” he said.
Kyla Fingas
Accessibility in Moosomin is a major issue for Fingas, something she would like to see expand around town.
“I would like to see a focus put on making Moosomin a more accessible place for all who live here,” she said. “This includes ensuring that our public buildings are wheelchair accessible and that entrances in the washrooms of these buildings can be navigated independently while using a wheelchair. I’d like to see the sidewalks on Main Street in front of our business sector repaired to restore even and level walking surfaces to aid those pushing strollers or using mobility aids.”
She credited a proposal from Recreation Director Mike Schwean to council regarding a wheelchair lift at th rink.
“I requested and sparked council discussion on the importance of adding a lift in the arena to allow any user to be able to get down to the ice surface,” Fingas said. “This allows any parents or grandparents the ability to tie skates, those using the ice surface for sledge hockey, and accommodating other events that use the rink floor in the summer months.”
One project Fingas spearheaded was the Cenotaph Renewel Project, which create wheelchair accessible picnic tables and added new waste and recycling receptacles, plus a doggy station.
“The Moosomin I dream of is inclusive of all people, those of every age, race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, interests, abilities and orientations,” she said. “This will require more than words and boots on the ground work to demonstrate our commitment to this purpose.”
Greg Nosterud
If elected, Nosterud vows to continue working with the economic development group already established in Moosomin. The airport, a new addictions treatment centre, construction of the Highway 8 bypass, a new CT scanner—these are some of the projects Nosterud would continue to develop as Moosomin grows.
“These projects are important to me as they benefit the community’s growth, health promotion, and safety,” he said. “It is not enough for the community to simply go and thrive. These projects are created to the needs of our growing population and benefit our community as a whole, to allow our town to thrive over the years.”
Ed Blondeau
Health, economic development, and the environment are three pillars that are important to Blondeau.
“I decided to add my name as a candidate running for the town council this year because there are some issues that I feel strong about,” he said. “Health care is one of them, the hospital and the health team that we have is exceptional and a great asset to this region, but I feel there’s more that could be offered.”
While also recognizing the importance of a CT scanner, Blondeau would also increase awareness on mental health.
“Another issue close to my heart is helping people access mental health,” he said. “We continue to understand the values of good mental health. We realize how much work needs to be done. I am part of a group that is dedicated to find a solution for people suffering from this issue.”
Blondeau is also encouraged by building on the excitement around local economic development.
“There are a lot of projects that I’d like to incorporate into the growth, such as a local campground, more housing, of course, and exploring the possibilities of another grocery store,” he said. “Care for the environment is another issue for me. I feel that there are a couple of ways that we can improve municipal composting at the landfill. It would not be a complicated or expensive undertaking, but it would make a difference.”
Candidate questions and answers:
Question #1: What is your plan to deal with the aging infrastructure in Moosomin?
Blondeau: Called for a case by case scenario involving site prep work for new business and existing ones that want more expansion.
G. Nosterud: Would review recommendations and prioritize projects, implement a cast-iron main replacement program with consideration given to the pipe bursting technology, commence with detailed design tendering and construction of water distribution projects, and government grants and funding support are available for capital projects that should be applied to prior to undertaking a major upgrade.
Fingas: Would work to achieve a balance between developments and maintaining existing infrastructure. Repair costs have skyrocketed and council has a list of projects such as sewer lines, water lines, sidewalks and streets that need to be repaired. The list is carefully vetted every year to evaluate which projects need to be completed this year and which projects can be delayed. “An example of proactively maintaining existing infrastructure is, as Greg mentioned, sewer lines,” Fingas said. “We’ve chosen to reline our splitters rather than replace. While this does not eliminate the need for eventual replacement, it does prolong the current lifespan, and allow us to focus on replacing most sewer lines when we are servicing water lines, saving ourselves the cost of future digs and replacement. While this means that it will be a slow project to complete in its entirety, it is measured and methodical and allows us to readjust our sails should emergencies arise.”
Santos Cardoza: Plans to closely monitor sewer and water lines, in order to know exactly which areas need to be addressed. Involves working closely with Public Works, who replaced 10-11 blocks during the last year. After work is complete to water and sewer lines, have paving crews come in behind the Public Works crew.
Hodgson: Is a top concern for her and many in the community. “If we don’t maintain our infrastructure, we will suffer in the long run,” she said. “Infrastructure is something that supports everyone, whether it’s residential or commercial. We need to have an ongoing maintenance plan in place that we review annually.”
Would not be able to do it all at once, and budgeting for replacement and emergencies is a priority.
Towler: “I think we’re probably in a lot better shape than a lot of communities,” he said.
An engineer’s report is currently underway, and the town is doing water line looping in some areas. He said the town should prioritize getting all new hydrants and valves as well.
Gillis: “The aging infrastructure in Moosomin is not unique to town,” he said. “It’s a problem that is being encountered all across the prairies, and it would do well for us to learn from what other communities are doing.”
Saskatchewan infrastructure is about 10 years behind Manitoba, so we could look at some of their communities and what they’re doing, what worked well for them.
Norgan: Has had personal experience with aging pipe in front of his house, and noted the town crew was fast with the issue.
“Aging infrastructure is a continuous thing, a problem that we’ve been facing for years and years,” he said. “I think the best thing that has been going on is the extension, like we did with Ogilvie (Street), where we took it down, dug out the pipe, dug out the water, and then slowly got it back up and functioning. Just to continue success with that.”
Truman: Agreed that aging infrastructure is not a new issue.
“I was on council eight years ago, and we were dealing with it then,” she said. “The mayor and councillors at that time and since then have had a plan as to improving or replacing the infrastructure.”
D. Nosterud: Would like to see a more proactive approach to aging infrastructure.
“It’s good that we are doing plan maintenance now and replacing streets and everything in troublesome areas,” he said. “The one thing that I would like to see more is not doing the patch and bury that I see often happening when we’re digging up a street. I realize this isn’t something that can happen every time, but when we’re digging up a street, maybe do a little bit more to replace the aging infrastructure that’s underneath, rather than throwing a patch on and burying it.”
For new builds, digging the entire street at that time to fix the whole thing instead of digging up streets multiple times.
Turnbull: Praised the labor of public works, and called for training up a dedicated local paving crew.
“If we were to train and equip our paving crew, we can reduce or eliminate this cost by moving out and paving and doing work for the other small towns in our area,” he said.
The money saved could then be devoted to projects such as creating bigger sewer lines.
Gray: Also praised the public works department, but felt Turnbull’s local paving crew idea would not be viable.
“If they’re paving, they cannot be working on our pipes underground, so there is no way we can have our own paving crew,” he said.
He has noticed an increase in the amount the town crew has been able to accomplish with the underground work during his time on council, from two blocks a year to an average of eight.
“As long as we can allow them the time each summer in order to do seven, eight, nine blocks, we can catch up on it,” he said. “One block at a time, you’ll never catch up on our aging infrastructure. We have the expertise, and we just need to give them the go ahead in order to replace the pipes.”
Tomlinson: Noted that the town workers do base work after lines are put in, providing a cost savings.
“This year alone, the paving was $900,000 but if we’d have paid for the construction company to do the base work for that, we’d have doubled that amount,” he said. “So our people actually saved us half of the job by us doing it ourselves.”
Question #2: What role do you think the town should play in growing the business community, and how do you support that role?
Tomlinson: Spoke of a connection between the Town, EDC, CBA, and RM. Suggested possibly looking at a tax incentive for business.
“I think we’re going to have to think a little bit outside of the box and attract more business—large and small,” he said. “And I think with the group that we have, and the EDC we have, I think we can accomplish that. It’s just a matter of everyone working together.”
Gray: “As chair of the Economic Development This question is perfect for me, because I live it once a month,” he said. “At 6:30 a.m. when we talk about economic development and the function that we have with the three parties that get together for those meetings and share the costs and share the ideas.”
Just adding businesses is not the solution if there is nowhere for the employees to live. There’s a broad range of things that businesses require support on.
Turnbull: Has had the experience of trying to develop different properties, and noticed two types of application processes; one that seems to be fast-tracked.
“Tracking new businesses from out of town is going to be having a standardized form or application procedure that everyone can actually go step by step for their own projects,” he said, noting some projects from out of town seem to get side-tracked. “I think the big part of our economic development right now is that we don’t have a standardized procedure for approving projects.”
D. Nosterud: Feels the town should play the role of facilitator.
“We should be seen as welcoming and eager to assist,” he said. “We should be open to suggestions for businesses that are coming to council, and work together to find ways to facilitate growth in those businesses.”
Truman: Noted that the town does offer an incentive for new commercial buildings coming in.
“We have the Community Builders Alliance, they’re encouraging new businesses as well as residential, and that’s what my platform is all about, the economic development,” she said.
Truman added that she’s never been refused any information she’s sought.
Norgan: Felt Moosomin is an inviting area to come set up shop, but need to broaden horizons on how far the incentive goes when bringing business in. He suggested 25 per cent tax break for the first two years, then continue on from there.
“Moosomin is a welcoming place, I have friends from Virden who said they would rather do their business in town rather than their own town,” he said.
Gillis: Feels council should be minimally involved with the day-to-day of how businesses operate. Consistency and equity for established businesses and new development is an important consideration.
“We definitely want growth and investment in the community, but not at the expense of our established businesses,” he said, adding it’s not the job to protect or shelter existing businesses to the detriment of new ones coming in either. A little hesitant on a tax credit or rebates to new businesses.
Towler: Moosomin is unique in that it’s not a city, but a really big town. Recreation brings so much business to town.
“We’ve got many hardships coming in front of us here yet, but we’re up to the challenge. That’s what we’re about,” he said.
Hodgson: Believes the town needs to have an active role. Infrastructure is a huge part of a business new or old. Sustainability is key to growth of the community. Establishing an economic development committee that works closely with the EDO is crucial.
“If we all work together and support each other and collaborate, that’s how the town and the entire community will grow,” she said.
Santos Cardoza: Would not like to see a business leave because there are issues not being resolved.
“I think it’s important that we keep our current business owners in mind and keep their concerns hopefully met,” he said.
Frequent meetings with business is important, especially if there are improvements that can be made.
Fingas: Advised that growth needs to be strategic, at a reasonable pace, and sustainable for the long term.
“We’ve seen many towns and cities go from being the ‘next big thing’ to become what looks like a ghost town almost overnight,” she said. “Diversifying our business sector and ensuring that we’re planning for the long term is crucial in guaranteeing success in current projects.”
While she’s thrilled to see plans for the new daycare come together, questions of how it will be staffed, where employees will live, and if they can afford housing are on her mind.
“The child care spaces are undoubtedly in need in our community, but the work also needs to be done to ensure long term success of the project,” she said.
G. Nosterud: Feels things have been running smoothly the past few years.
“Basically, the need of being a leader in economic development is a very important first strategic move,” he said. “We’ve been doing that for six or seven years now, and it’s been working out very nicely.”
Communication between all parties involved have been positive, pointing to the major construction projects in Moosomin.
Blondeau: Praised the Economic Development Officer and her work. Not every business is going to have the same needs.
“Everything is going to be case by case, and it’s one of those deals where every situation is going to be different,” he said. “Everyone’s got their own plans.”
Question #3: There’s approximately 1,400 taxable properties in town, 11 per cent of those are commercial, and that 11 per cent pays 43.3 per cent of the total municipal tax revenue collected by the town. Do you like the commercial/residential mix as it is? How would you change it?
Blondeau: Taxes are necessary to run the town. “There’s not too much you can do with taxes that I know of,” he said. “But if I get elected, maybe I’ll learn that.”
G. Nosterud: Council will be looking at whether the taxation mix ought to change. “Council will be reviewing the present tax levy at the first meeting after the election to decide if any changes are needed to be considered,” he said.
Fingas: Believes that taxation based on valuation is important. She sees this as a way to keep Moosomin affordable for everyone.
“A higher base tax would be a challenge for people in lower income thresholds to be able to own property in towns, as they would be people who are greatly impacted in that way,” she said. “While there are many imperfections in the taxation system—I’m sure we can all agree that no one ever wants to pay tax—there are many services that are provided because of it.”
Businesses with a larger footprint and higher assessment would likely receive more services that a small business operating on Main Street.
Santos Cardoza: With new businesses and infrastructure being established in Moosomin, a tax base expansion can follow.
“We can look to redistribute those tax funds or other tax bases, and relieve some of the pressures on our existing businesses and our homeowners, rather than just having a narrow tax base in town,” he said.
Hodgson: Local businesses are critical to the local economy, providing jobs and supporting economy. Hodgson would support a tax structure that distributes responsibility fairly, fosters growth, and maintains the quality of life that makes Moosomin such a great place to live.
“While the current commercial and residential tax mix provides a strong foundation in Moosomin, balancing what is already working and reviewing new concerns is always required,” she said. “I believe there’s an opportunity to diversify our revenue sources by encouraging more residential and commercial growth to share the load more evenly.”
Towler: The best taxation model for a town is roughly a 60/40 split, which does fluctuate.
“I know there’s new ways of doing business and everything, but is this the way it is for right now,” he said.
Gillis: Admitted he doesn’t understand the taxation model well enough, but would commit to learning and understanding more about it.
“If we revisit that information and come up with a different conclusion, then we can look at making changes to our tax base and what’s made,” he said. “But we should do it very slowly and very deliberately, because whether you’re a business or a resident, nobody likes shocks, nobody likes surprises, anything that is done or any changes that need to be made should be done with that in mind.”
Norgan: “Being a business owner in the past and a homeowner all the time, I’d like to see at least a one per cent decrease, or even a half per cent decrease,” he said. “But the biggest thing is that we need the town to bring in a large manufacturer in this area so we can offset some of our taxes.”
Truman: Noted that the town has the ability to shift taxation percentages as needed for the current situation. “Being a business, we do pay more in commercial taxes, but we’re also taking income on that property,” she said.
D. Nosterud: Is open to reviewing the current taxation mix and seeing if it is right for the current times.
“I feel that the there is merit in taking a look at the tax blend, and I’m eager if I were to be in, to be part of that first meeting, to see how everything is laid out and possibly looking if there is any ways of cutting taxes,” he said.
Turnbull: Returned to the ideas of an audit on all expenses and creating a local paving crew. Drawing on the fact that paving crews are typically hired seasonally, he feels that the town could save $960,000 otherwise spent on paving and utilize it elsewhere, such as tax reduction.
“Seasonal employees are nothing new in the paving industry,” he said. “Everyone who works in paving knows that they’re not going to be working year round. Having our own paving the crew here trained and equipped properly, we can save money by paving our own roads.”
Gray: Taxation needs to be consistent so future planning can take place.
“If you’re planning a five-year plan with your business, you need to know what your taxes are going to cost,” he said. “So moving around the percentages and changing things as you go can cause a lot of trouble in your community. So a consistent plan, a long term plan with taxes, is very important for planning.”
He admitted there is a little bit more tax on the business side right now, but that they also have the opportunity to recoup that cost through their consumers. Homeowners simply do not have that same opportunity.
“That being said, I will give my pitch to shopping local, because your money, we need a big pot in order to operate the town,” he said, adding that taking money out of town doesn’t help with taxes at all. Keeping money in town is the key for economic development.
Tomlinson: Tomlinson took issue with the numbers as presented in the question, noting that 25.2 per cent of the town assessment makes up 43 per cent of the tax revenue—not 11 per cent as stated. He’s also heard from local businesses that they feel they’re not getting enough services for what they pay in taxes, like garbage pickup, for example.
“Yes, we can look at the changes, it’s worked pretty good up till now,” he said.
Question #4: Town Council always has to weigh the needs of the community with the need to keep its taxes reasonable. If you’re successful, what are your top ideas in order to balance those needs?
Tomlinson: All through his time on council, the town has been trying its best to spend within its means.
“We do everything we can with the money available without trying to increase the tax mill, but it’s a balancing act between what to have to spend and what comes in,” he said.
Using the paving example, Tomlinson pointed out that in 2023, there was no paving done. There was $500,000 budgeted for paving last year, which was put into reserves.
“It would have been $500,000 for two years consecutively, that’s why we ended up with a million dollars in paving this year,” he said. “So we try to live within our means of the taxes we collect.”
Gray: “I will say it’s definitely a balancing act, because everybody talks up here about growth and to try to become the ‘next thing’—that’s expensive to grow,” he said. “It costs a lot of money in order to add that infrastructure that we need.”
He feels that there is value in continuing to promote Moosomin, attracting people and businesses to put down roots.
“If we have a positive vibe and we make other communities know how positive it is, then people want to come here and do business,” he said. “To be fiscally responsible with what we spend is important, but to continue that promotion and continue talking about how great we are and how great we can be is the only way to weigh that.”
Turnbull: Once again, pointed to the audit as a measurement of money that could be saved.
“Doing an audit of all our expenses to be able to reduce the cost of money that’s leaving the town—especially on this paving that we spend money on every year,” he said. “We need to find a way to mitigate that or eliminate that, and that’s the best way for us I can think of, is having seasonal employees our own local paving crew in town.”
He also called for a set of standard procedures for new businesses in Moosomin, especially manufacturing.
“That’s something that we are really short on, is manufacturing,” he said. “There’s so many farmers in the area that produce different products that can be refined and changed into secondary products. That’s what I think we can do, is go with agricultural manufacturing to bring in the these new economic businesses that we need.”
D. Nosterud: Noted this is another area he’s eager to learn more about.
“Unfortunately, the town infrastructure is an important issue that must be addressed sooner than later,” he said. “These issues cost money, and it wasn’t until recent years that we’ve had the major tax increases needed to facilitate these upgrades.”
Before making a real needs assessment, Nosterud would like to see how higher taxes would help ease the burden.
Truman: Admitted the balancing act is a tough one, trying to keep taxation reasonable while maintaining infrastructure and core services.
“I can say, ‘yeah, let’s get people in so we increase our tax base, make more money,’ but it’s going to cause more expenses,” she said. “So it’s a tough one, and I think the town council, working with what they have now, have done a good job to keep the taxes as they have been.”
Norgan: Recalled how in years previous, Moosomin had a low tax base, but infrastructure began to fail.
“Then we had to catch up on taxes. Unfortunately, now we’re catching up on our taxes where we’re paying too much,” he said. “All I can say is we need to bring in an industry or some kind of manufacturing place that will bring in a larger tax base.”
Gillis: While paying for the large amount of infrastructure that is meeting or exceeding its projected life expectancy, he noted the need to continue saving for the future.
“We also need to be dutiful that we are accruing the funds necessary for replacing it when it meets its life expectancy,” he said, even if that could be 20 to 50 years down the road. “We shouldn’t be paying for those bills when they come up. They should be accrued for all along, so we aren’t seeing unpleasant increases in our tax base at that time. It’s our responsibility to pay for the installation and maintenance of those things that come along.”
Towler: “Right now, we’ve very much been working very hard with the RMs to make partnerships so we can keep taxes down,” he said.
He also noted the importance of bringing industry in, as Moosomin is community-based and the majority of taxes are derived from that stream.
Hodgson: While admitting the first few months on council would mean an intense learning curve, Hodgson is dedicated to being fiscally responsible.
“I would prioritize a fair and balanced tax system that is sustainable for both residents and businesses,” she said. “I would advocate to explore more incentives to ease the tax load without compromising out ideal.”
Annual analysis that ensures a fair and supporting tax system for all property owners is an important feature.
Santos Cardoza: With new developments and businesses coming to Moosomin, Santos Cardoza believes incentives ought to be expanded to them, but incentives should not be exclusive.
“I’m all for the incentives of new businesses, but I think we should be offering incentives for already existing businesses in town that are already bringing in significant profit and that are really contributing greatly to our taxes,” he said.
Fingas: Community and resident needs drive the agenda of any town council meeting, and it’s no surprise that taxation is an oft-repeated issue.
“In the past, we have attempted to be prudent yet thoughtful about taxation and charge only what is necessary to keep our town operating smoothly, while giving us the opportunity to be proactive on maintenance and upkeep to prevent larger, long term issues,” Fingas said. While taking into consideration past methods, she noted that council is always open to new ideas and ways of doing things.
G. Nosterud: Drumming up attention like what was seen through the recent housing incentive program is something Moosomin needs to repeat. He credited the program as a fantastic way to draw acclaim to the town.
“Beautiful program, beautiful way to approach this problem, but broadening the tax base is what’s going to make most people the happiest, I believe,” he said. “It’s hard to make the right decision, but I like to research. I want to be really wise when I’m spending taxpayer’s money.”
Blondeau: “The only thing I can say is long term planning and careful budgeting,” he said. “That’s the way it goes.”
Auchstaetter weighs in
Hugh Auchstaetter could not be in attendance, but had provided answers to the same questions raised during the forum.
Here are his responses to the questions:
Question 1: What role do you think the town should play in growing the business community and how should it support that?
I think the town needs to continue to promote our community as a great place to do business and to live. To attract new businesses that might involve grants, tax incentives, etc.
Question 2: There are approximately 1,400 taxable properties in town. About 11 per cent of those are commercial properties (businesses), and that 11 per cent pays 43.3 per cent of the total municipal tax revenue collected by the town of Moosomin. Do you like the commercial/residential mix as it is or how would you change it?
Without knowing the exact financials of Moosomin and where resources are allocated makes this a difficult question to answer. I believe to help alleviate the tax burden to businesses and keeping residential taxes reasonable that we need to promote new businesses to build in our community and increase the tax base so that tax increases aren’t necessary.
New businesses would also bring new residents that hopefully live in our community, thus increasing the tax base.
Question 3: Town council is always weighing the needs of the community against the need to keep taxes reasonable. How would you balance those needs?
Balancing the needs of the community and keeping taxes reasonable is always like walking a tight rope and keeping a fine balance without going too far one way or the other and involves the input and discussion of many others to keep this balance.
