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Crime, infrastructure and budgets in the spotlight at mayors’ address

May 9, 2018 | 5:00 PM

Crime, budget constraints, and aging infrastructure were at the forefront for the City of North Battleford and the Town of Battleford over the past year. 

North Battleford Mayor Ryan Bater and Town of Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie recounted highlights from the past year and their plans for the year ahead at the Seventh Annual State of the City and Town Address Tuesday. About 70 people attended the event, which was organized by the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce.

Bater addressed the problem of crime in North Battleford and said the city is focused on a number of strategies to make the community safer.

Community safety continues to be “top of mind” for many people in the city, he said, calling the issue “one of our highest priorities.”

The mayor said the city invested in additional crime suppression resources through the RCMP, which has helped get more known offenders off the streets. He added the Battlefords RCMP detachment “is one of the busiest in the province.”

Bater said the city is also looking at the root causes of crime in order to work to prevent crimes before they happen. 

Budget woes

The fallout from the provincial budget has also been on the radar of many municipalities this past year.

Bater said the $1.2-million impact from provincial budget cuts hit the city hard last year. The province’s decision to discontinue payments in lieu of taxation for SaskPower and royalty payments from SaskEnergy was a significant challenge for the city. The mayor said council and administration focused on finding savings in the city budget to reduce the toll on taxpayers, and were able to bring a potential 11 per cent rise in property taxes down to a 3 per cent increase in 2017.

“Administration worked hard, council worked hard, and we were able to find a number of areas to eliminate expenses,” Bater said.

He said there were “welcome” changes in this year’s provincial budget which offered some reprieve, and he noted the province agreed to reinstate the SaskEnergy surcharge. The mayor said the surcharge was always there, but now the city will be able to receive it again.

“That’s a $391,000 change that we saw,” Bater said.

Where economic development is concerned, Bater said it’s been a year of growth for the city. 

The downtown revitalization project has also been making progress, and the city can look forward to a new four-screen cinema downtown in the year ahead.  

“Downtown is definitely a priority for the city,” Bater said.

Crime down in Battleford

The Town of Battleford saw a reduction in its crime statistics this year, which Mayor Ames Leslie attributed to an increase in police visibility.

“Any time you have more police presence the deterrence is there. Also they are catching more crime in the act,” he said.

Leslie said the town now has a public safety officer who is out on the streets keeping residents mindful of traffic safety regulations. The mayor described the position as a “proactive safety approach” to dealing with crime.

Infrastruture concens

Aging infrastructure presents a big challenge for the town, according to Leslie.

Leslie said one current priority is the Finlayson Island bridge, which is in need of significant work. He said the town will be focusing on a section of the old bridge that is open to vehicle traffic.

“Council will have more discussions to engage the engineering firm to do an in-depth investigation into the status of the bridge,” he said.

When it comes to economic development, Leslie said the town has experienced a good year with plenty of growth. The re-opening of the historic post office building downtown in June will also help bolster business.

 

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow