MIDGET A BRUINS
CSS UPDATE Numbers for 2019 have been released A3
Win in Grand Froks A10
Issue 38
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
ESTEVAN’S
SOURCE FOR LOCAL & REGIONAL NEWS
Council tackles budget at first meeting of the year By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
Estevan residents won’t be paying more on their property tax bills in 2020, but they will have an increase on water consumption rates later this year. Estevan city council discussed the 2020 budget in open at Monday night’s meeting. For the second straight year, the budget does not have a property tax increase, meaning that taxes will have gone up just one per cent since the start of 2018. City manager Jeff Ward said the decision was based largely on the current economic climate in the community. There are several larger projects in the budget, including the completion of the water intake project, which will shift Estevan’s primary water source from Boundary Dam to Rafferty Dam; continued work on the expansion of the Estevan Police Ser vice building; and resurfacing of Souris Avenue South/ Highway 47 from Fourth
Street to Perkins Street, a project that will be costshared with the provincial government. Ward said the final cost for the city for the resurfacing project is estimated at $200,000 but has yet to be finalized. There is also continued efforts to reduce the city’s long-term debt by about $2 million. The big topic at Monday night’s meeting was the proposed six per cent increase on the water consumption rate for utility bills. Council spent about 20 minutes debating the issue, before agreeing to impose the increase as of July 1, instead of Jan. 1, as had been recommended. Some council members wanted to efficiencies found in the budget so that an increase wouldn’t be needed. In a report to council, city treasurer Trudy Firth wrote that the primar y reason for the increase this year is the water intake project and the raw water pump house that will be needed to move the water.
The water intake project for Boundary Dam is among the projects in this year’s city budget. File photo The yearly cost of running the new system is an estimated $200,000. The cost increase to the average homeowner would be about $2.70 per month. Councillor Greg Hoffort started the debate when he suggested not
having a consumption rate increase for the second straight year. “It ’s less about the money and as much about the message that I think it sends that we’ve heard (people’s concerns),” said Hoffort. “ We certainly
won’t be able to manage zero increases every year. But because of responding to the times in the fashion we’ve done, and our desire to have a zero mill rate increase, I think it needs to go across the board.” Mayor Roy Ludwig
countered that if council didn’t want to have the consumption rate increase, then the property tax rates would have to increase 1 1/2 per cent, or the capital budget would have to be trimmed. A2 » CITY
Police call volumes continued to increase in 2019 By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The Estevan Police Service (EPS) experienced an increase in call volumes in 2019. Numbers supplied to the Mercur y last week show that the EPS handled 8,467 calls for service last year, which is up 3.7 per cent from 8,162 calls in 2018. Police Chief Paul Ladouceur noted the total numbers of calls for 2019 could still increase as well, because the figures don’t include investigations from last year that are ongoing. If charges are laid from investigations that began in 2019, then they will count towards last year’s numbers. “We’re not seeing a reduction in calls for service. We’re not seeing less work,” said Ladouceur. “Often times people make the comments ‘Well, the
economy’s lower. Why do we need all these police officers?’ The proof is in the pudding … when the economy goes down, often times our services are required more than ever.” Ladouceur pointed out that the monthly numbers released at the meetings of the Estevan board of police commissioners indicated there would be an increase, so he’s not surprised the numbers for the year are higher than 2018. “I wouldn’t say that’s a surprise given the economy. There’s often a correlation between the economy and the calls for service that we get,” said Ladouceur. The calls for service total includes speeding tickets and other infractions handled by the EPS during the year, and complaints for fraud-related calls. And many of the calls the EPS receives are not criminal in nature, as they could include public disor-
The Estevan Police Service saw an increase in activity in 2019. File photo der, mental health-related calls, neighbour disputes or someone looking for advice. If there is a sudden death, the police will be called to investigate to ensure it’s not criminal in nature. “These are some of the calls that the public doesn’t see on a day to day basis that the police
are responding to,” said Ladouceur. When looking at the Criminal Code charges, assaults causing bodily harm went from seven to nine, and while that might not seem like much, it’s still a concern in a community of this size that nine people were the victim of a serious assault, he said. Sexual assault report-
ed incidents were down 82 per cent, from 33 in 2018 to six in 2019. As for crimes against property, break and enters were up, with 27 residential break and enters in 2019, compared to 15 the previous year, while the number of business break and enters grew from three to six. Thefts under $5,000
decreased, from 183 in 2018 to 133 last year, and mischief crimes had an increase of nine per cent from 113 to 123. Drug trafficking charges remained steady at 12 from 2018 to 2019, while possession charges dropped from 61 to 25. Ladouceur believes the legalization of cannabis A2 » CHIEF
ENDS JAN 31
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2019 ON SE LE CT NE W S EL OD M F-1 50
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