Last night's meeting of Weyburn City Council began with Mayor Jeff Richards proclaiming May 5th to 11th, 2025 as Mental Health Week in Weyburn, urging all citizens to take part in the events to celebrate the week.
Council gave the first reading for two bylaws, one to regulate the use of waterworks and the levying of fees or charges, and the other to regulate the use of sewer service and the levying of fees or charges. The result will be a fee of $10 per month to all City of Weyburn service connections.
Engineering Director Renee Cugnet explained that this is due to many of the City’s utility systems nearing the end of design life and in need of substantial repair and/or rehabilitation. The current methods of funding these capital projects, primarily dependent on general revenue and the occasional government funding grant, is insufficient, given the rising costs of materials, labour, and technology.
The additional infrastructure of a $10/month infrastructure fee, applied to all utility users within the City of Weyburn, would generate a dedicated revenue stream (approximately $468,000/year) to the Utility budget, specifically for funding capital utility projects. This fee could be reviewed and adjusted over time as the community needs and project priorities change.
"Just forecasting, we could see about $10 million of infrastructure that's going to be needed to be done for water and sewer and that has to be funded," explained Mayor Richards. "What we thought here we could do and would do is that $10 fee on every water meter, then that is earmarked for those projects and those projects only. So that money can't get shifted around into other things. It keeps it very targeted and that's what we want."
"That's going to yield about $460,000 a year, but our five-year projection is about 10 million. So we've still got more work to do, but we'll be careful and I think we'll get there."
City Council encourages feedback from the public prior to the next reading of the bylaws, which will be during the May 12th Council meeting.
Read more details about the proposed levy in the agenda HERE.
Council also approved a discretionary use application for T&C Family Restaurant to open up an outdoor patio, and a special occasion permit for the Outlaw Buckers & Oil Kings Match Bronc Riding event being held in Weyburn on June 3rd.
An item was added to the agenda, with Councillor Ryan Janke submitting a request to the City of Weyburn to write a letter of support for the Seven Stars Wind Energy Project, which was passed unanimously. Comments from Councillors included not being willing to turn away projects of any kind that would bring an influx of jobs and business opportunities to the City.
Engineering Director Cugnet also announced the Queen Street closure will officially take place next week on May 6th.