LMT Aug 30 - Vol 114 - issue 36

smoke and mirrors - continues from page 1
lmtimes.ca • Last Mountain Times • Monday, August 30, 2021 • /lastmountaintimes • @lmtimes
LIQUOR PERMIT
7
the special agreement was only with Spring Bay
and would reduce the 43% put into their reserve
account to 40%.
The Ministry of Government relations has previously
said, “The RM shall allocate to the hamlet
account, all grant monies received on behalf of
the OH and at least 40% and not more than 75%
(as agreed upon between the OH and the RM)
municipal tax revenue and fees.”
Schmidt said, “In essence some people in
Spring Bay will be paying less tax overall. It’s
because it’s not going into the reserve account.”
He added the money coming to the RM would
essentially be the same.
Morissette said, “the special levy discount does
not apply to the special levy amount nor does the
40/60 split. The RM retains 100% of that special
levy and it is not applicable to the [early payment]
discount.”
“This is not a method that will be shifting tax
burden to anybody. The tax burden stays squarely
on the residents of Spring Bay,” said Schmidt.
Councillor Marilyn Labatte said, “In the Municipalities
Act all organized hamlets are allowed to
do that with the agreement between the Hamlet
and the RM Council.”
“Every Hamlet may have a different mill rate
and every Hamlet may have a different special
levy fee,” said Garry Dixon.
Reeve Schmidt said he had responded to several
ratepayers on the matter, “there is nothing
nefarious about any of this stuff.” He said that
SAMA is responsible for the assessments, so
everything is the same except how taxes are paid
by residents of Spring Bay. “Unfortunately, this is
only available to OH it’s not available to unorganized
Hamlets.”
“We are collecting the same amount of taxes as
proportionate to the assessment, but we are just
collecting them in a different method.”
The RM and Spring Bay have not discussed the
matter during the open RM meetings, and both
have remained tight-lipped on negotiations. Any
discussion within the parameters of the public
council meetings has been done under Long Term
Strategic Planning within closed sessions. The
August 24th meeting would be the first that shed
some light on what has been happening between
the RM and the OH after the RM made a motion
on April 1st to refuse Spring Bay’s proposed
budget, saying it was not in line with the RM’s
practices and procedures.
LMT has reached out to the Chair of the OH of
Spring Bay, Karen Kramer, for comment. She has
not responded to previous requests or provided
any information on when the OH holds its meetings.
LMT has previously questioned the RM council
about the Province’s Guide to Organized Hamlets,
which says OH meetings should be public.
RM Councillor Garry Dixon replied that it meant
public “ratepayers.” Councillor Gary Dixon holds
a dual role as Councillor for the RM and is the
President of the Provincial Association of Resort
Communities of Saskatchewan (PARCS). The
PARCS website says they are “an independent
lobby organization and continues to represent resort
village and organized hamlet issues with all
levels of government as well as with SUMA and
SARM. Councillor Marilyn Labatte also sits on
the PARCS Board as a Director. Both councillors
list PARCS on their public disclosures recently
made available on the RM’s website.
Before going into the closed session of the
August 24th meeting, Councillor Whitrow asked
why Spring Bay was being discussed when they
had just passed the Bylaw. CAO Morissette said
it was for an amendment. After returning from
the closed session council rescinded motion
2021/0413, which the council passed on August
10th after a closed session to enter into a
Special Levy agreement with Spring Bay. They
then passed an amendment to the Special Levy
agreement.
Morissette provided clarification after the
meeting. She said the closed session resolutions
“related to bylaw 418/2021 passed earlier in the
meeting but had no effect on the Bylaw that was
passed.”
“Council did not amend bylaw 418/2021. The
motion to rescind was to rescind the motion
2021/0413 passed on August 10th/ 2021 which
was made to accept the original Spring Bay
Special Levy Agreement because amendments
were made to it at this meeting and a new motion
was made accept the amended one presented
today. This agreement with the amendments will
be sent to the OH of SB Board for approval and
signature and then will added to the website.”
She said that the RM would add the Spring Bay
budget to the website soon.
Former Reeve and McKillop ratepayer, Howard
Arndt, was contacted for comment. He said,
“What has been happening in this RM specific
to organized hamlets and their levy has shown
a great lack of leadership. Because they say it
[doesn’t have] any effect. Well, the system as it
exists has an effect.”
To explain the issue, Arndt used an example of
two identical houses on two identical lots next to
each other whose tax assessment was the same.
“However, 100% of the tax in the unorganized
hamlet goes to the municipality. And the municipality
does all of the work in the RM that is
shared by everybody, plus whatever work that
happens in the unorganized hamlet, such as
maintaining the roads. In the organized hamlet,
they get 43% of the same amount of tax to do the
maintenance in their hamlet plus any additional
improvements that they decide they want to do.
The balance of that money, which is RM money,
then goes into a reserve account for them. So, if
they can do everything that they’ve done in their
hamlet they actually have more services available
to them than the unorganized hamlet and they
have the surplus. Why do they have the surplus
if they are getting the same level of service as
everyone else? Because they are not baring their
fair share of the shared services.”
Arndt said there are organized hamlets in other
RM’s that have virtually no money in their hamlet
accounts because the RM is charging them
for administration and other services. He said,
“because there is no analysis of where the surplus
is you have to ask why. They are not paying their
fair share of looking after the rest [of the RM].
We are already subsidizing the organized hamlets
over the last number of years to the tune of
1.6 million dollars.”
“Yes on paper, in a snapshot in time, without
looking at everything else it looks like the RM
isn’t out. Well, the RM is out. Even under the
existing system those dollars are municipal
dollars.”
Arndt said he agrees that it won’t affect the
revenue coming into the RM right now. Still, he
said, “what it does it sets up this horrible, quite
transparent difference between the services and
what the taxes of what an organized hamlet pays
and what an unorganized hamlet pays. With the
organized hamlet having more advantages in
their hamlets than the unorganized hamlets.”
Jennifer Argue, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Note: These reports are abridged for content
Under the provisions of The Alcohol and Gaming
Regulations Act, 1997,
Notice is hereby given that Village Of Earl Grey has applied to the Saskatchewan
Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) for a Special Use - Sports Facility Curling
Club permit to sell alcohol in the premises known as Earl Grey Curling and
Skating Club at 225 Main St Earl Grey SK.
Written objections to the granting of the permit may be filed with SLGA not
more than two weeks from the date of publication of this notice.
Every person filing a written objection with SLGA shall state their name,
address, and telephone number in printed form, as well as the grounds for
the objection(s). Petitions must name a contact person, state grounds, and be
legible. Each signatory to the petition and the contact person must provide
an address and telephone number. Frivolous, vexatious or competition-based
objections within the beverage alcohol industry may not be considered and may
be rejected by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Licensing Commission,
who may refuse to hold a hearing.
Write to:
Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority
Box 5054 REGINA
SK S4P 3M3
R.M. OF MOUNT HOPE NO. 279
REQUESTS FOR QUOTATIONS
Introduction
The Rural Municipality of Mount Hope No. 279 will be accepting quotations
for the creation and mounting of a finished aluminum sign of the RM 279
logo for our Council Chambers. We will be accepting bids until Wednesday
September 8th, 2021, at the office of the municipality, 119 Main Street, Semans,
Saskatchewan. Bidders shall provide their quotation on or before the time and
date noted.
Basic Specifications
• Size – 4ft x 2ft
• Metal Type – 10 gauge Aluminum
• Finish – natural aluminum
• Logo can be provided by request
Contact Information
Primary contact for information or clarification:
• 306-524-2055
Bid Information
• RM 279 reserves the right to base award on additional factors such as, but
not limited to, price and estimated completion date. The lowest or any bid not
necessarily accepted.
Bids shall be received on or before 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday September 8th,
2021 to the RM 279 municipal office, address and contact information noted
below:
• Rural Municipality of Mount Hope No. 279, Box 190, Semans, Sk., S0A 3S0
• Phone 306-524-2055, Fax 306-524-4526, e-mail: rm279@sasktel.net
Notice of Call for Nominations
TOWN OF GOVAN
21091DA0
PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that nominations of candidates for the office
of:
COUNCILLOR
Number to be Elected: 1
will be received by the undersigned on the 15th day of September, 2021 from
8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Town of Govan Administration Office, and during
regular business hours on September 1 to September 15th, 2021 at the Town of
Govan Administration Office.
Nomination forms may be obtained at the following location:
Town of Govan Administration Office
101 Elgin Street
Govan, Saskatchewan
Dated this 30th day of August, 2021.
Kelly Walker, Returning Officer