WEYBURN – The residents of Weyburn have an opportunity to voice their concerns to the City of Weyburn’s administration and city council about its current and future direction.
The City has launched an online citizens survey, from now until June 16, on a variety of topics and concerns.
With the by-election being held today, May 31, the level of awareness and concerns have been raised in the city, with four candidates running to fill the one seat vacant on council.
This councillor will serve until the general municipal elections are held in the fall of 2024 – but in the meantime, will gain some valuable insight to the workings of Weyburn’s municipal government.
Regardless who wins the seat, all four candidates indicated at the recent forum that they are interested in running in the 2024 election, so if there are any concerns or issues not raised or dealt with by city council, one can be sure they will come up at next year’s elections.
For the survey, there are four areas the city wishes people to focus on: the economy; growth; community, and governance, along with input for their preliminary planning for the 2024 budget.
Specifically, they are seeking to find out what programs and projects matter to the community.
In the past, attempts at surveys and open houses haven’t always stirred up much interest, possibly because the topics weren’t that exciting, or they involved areas that people didn’t really have any insights or thoughts about.
This opportunity is easier for people to check out, as it’s online, and with a few clicks and a few moments to read the questions, they can determine if there are issues they would like the city to be addressing.
This could be issues like snow removal, as some residents raised with the by-election candidates, or the state of roads around the city.
There are also issues around the level of taxes that people pay, and the frequency of garbage and recycling pickup – do they annoy or concern residents?
One issue that came up at the forum was accessibility to programs and facilities like the Credit Union Spark Centre. There is a cost to recreational programs, such as at the swimming pool or the Spark Centre, or of minor sports. Are these too much for some families?
If there are questions about any of these areas that people want answers for, or changes made, this survey would be a really good way to tell the city what they’re thinking and why it would be a good idea to make changes.
Unlike taking in things like forums or the public council meeting, this is a way to voice an opinion online, on your computer or device, about the direction the city is taking with programming or services.
