Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
An adjudication committee has approved the 2018 Kindersley Community Initiatives Program (KCIP) recipients, and council has learned about the results.
Details of the successful 2018 KCIP grant recipients were provided to council members for their meeting on July 16. The Town of Kindersley receives funding from Saskatchewan Lotteries based on its population and a portion of the RM of Kindersley’s population.
Council passed a resolution earlier in 2018 to suspend KCIP and use the funding for its own projects, but town officials later discovered the funding did not apply to the projects and they started to accept KCIP applications on June 22, according to an administrative report. The town reviewed applications on July 6, and the recipients were approved.
“We adjudicated these a couple weeks ago,” said Mayor Rod Perkins, a member of the adjudication committee, recognizing the applicants requested more money than what the program had to give and the committee did its best to allocate funds.
The town had $45,154 to allocate as part of the program and a total of $70,624 was requested by and eligible to the 22 applicants. Four of the applicants did not receive any funds for various reasons, so KCIP grants were given to 18 groups and organizations. The program favours underrepresented groups such as seniors or people with disabilities.
[emember_protected for=”2″ custom_msg=’For more on this story, please see this week’s print edition of The Clarion.’]
Perkins said certain grants are going to groups that will pay rent to the Town of Kindersley, so there is a bit of give and take from the town’s perspective. The town is also going to benefit from its own KCIP grants.
The town has been approved for $5,000 for Canada Day fireworks and for $5,000 for new equipment for the Kindersley Aquatics Centre. An additional $5,000 will go to the Kindersley Swim Club, a group that has not received KCIP funds before, for program equipment. A Sharks Swim Club received KCIP grants in the mid-2000s.
Several recipients and applicants were highlighted. Perkins said the Kindersley Antique Threshing Club received funds and the group is involved with the museum. He said the Pathway to Wellness group has done good work, so the group received its full request of $3,500.
Perkins said a request by the Iron Horse Kindersley Klippers for a seating project did not qualify, so funds could not be allocated. He noted that the NRC Management Inc. has done well with respect to town funding, so its application was denied.
Kyle Zurevinsky, the town’s interim recreation manager, said letters would be sent to successful recipients later that week. The other recipients not mentioned include the Kindersley & District Plains Museum, Kindersley Screen Arts, Kindersley & District Music Festival, Kindersley & District Arts Council, Kindersley Minor Ball, West Central Abilities Inc., Kindersley Whirls & Twirls, Kindersley Skating Club, Kindersley Minor Soccer, iKids Club, Kindersley Sledge Hockey, 365 Air Cadets Squadron and Kindersley Playschool.
Other meeting highlights
- Council members have passed a resolution to adopt a new policy regarding future property tax abatements for charitable non-profit and service organizations.
The municipal property tax abatement policy for charitable non-profit and service organizations was approved at the meeting on July 16. The policy sets a framework for the eligibility, requirements and process for the abatement applications.
Applicants must either be a registered non-profit organization in Saskatchewan, registered charity in Canada or non-profit service organization to apply for the abatement, according to the policy.
The property in question must be used at least 50 per cent for charitable or benevolent purposes. The groups must provide specific information regarding their non-profit or charitable status. The applications must be submitted each year by no later than March 15 to qualify.
Council passed two additional resolutions to approve tax abatements for two properties. The abatement does not apply to education property tax. Council approved an abatement of $2,367 for the Kindersley Masonic Lodge and an abatement of $2,140 for the West Central Crisis and Family Support Centre.
• The town’s elected officials have adopted one zoning amendment bylaw, and they have also given the first reading to a second zoning amendment bylaw.
A public hearing was held for Bylaw 07-18, a bylaw to amend the town’s Zoning Bylaw. Mayor Rod Perkins called for comments and concerns from the public during the hearing, and with no members of the public coming forward, the hearing was concluded.
Perkins said the zoning amendment covers changes to setbacks for accessory buildings. The amendment also removed a clause requiring tractor-trailer parking at the businesses in highway commercial (C3) zoning districts.
The mayor said it does not make sense to require smaller restaurants to provide parking for tractor-trailers, so the clause is being removed from the bylaw. Council gave the second and third readings to adopt the zoning amendment bylaw.
First reading was given to Bylaw 08-18, a bylaw to amend the Zoning Bylaw. Perkins said the amendment to the zoning bylaw ensures that protective services facilities such as fire halls and police barracks are permitted uses in certain zoning districts. The bylaw is up for adoption on Aug. 20.
• Elected officials have passed a trio of resolutions relating to land matters. The town has responded to requests regarding subdivisions and parcel tie removals.
The Community Planning branch of the ministry of government relations has asked the town to respond with concerns regarding the land matters. The subdivision is on a parcel of land to the northeast of Kindersley, and council has no concerns with the subdivision.
The town and RM of Kindersley share a planning district, so town officials are often asked to respond if the land is close enough to the municipal boundaries. Another request involved land partially within the town’s municipal boundaries. The town responded to the parcel tie removal for land at the southwest corner of the municipality.
Another parcel tie removal request was for land east of town where Rocky Mountain Equipment plans to build a new facility. Council approved the subdivision, along with a resolution to enter into a servicing agreement with Rocky Mountain Equipment.
• A resolution has been passed to direct officials to enter into a tax exemption agreement with a pair of companies that own land in Brookhollow Estates.
Marathon Equity Corp. and Excelsior Quality Builders Ltd., two companies involved in the ownership of raw land in the new Brookhollow subdivision, have requested a tax exemption. Town officials are entering an agreement that will see an exemption of municipal property taxes.
Raw land owned by the company will be taxed based on its assessment only, so the taxes on vacant lots will not be bumped up to the town’s minimum tax. The town is also going to exempt the $300 base tax on vacant lots.
The agreement is only for raw land, or vacant lots, that have been serviced and are undeveloped. According to a town official, the exemption ends on lots after they are developed. The companies still have to pay 100 per cent of the education property tax.
• Council has amended a resolution from a meeting in January to change appointments within the town’s administration. Two resignations have led to the changes.
Kim Vogel, the town’s director of transportation and environmental services, has been appointed as the deputy administrator and emergency measures organization (EMO) co-ordinator, and Melissa Torrens, a municipal enforcement officer, has been appointed as the EMO deputy co-ordinator.
All appointments will expire on Dec. 31. The changes were necessary after the resignations of Bernie Morton, the town’s former chief administrative officer, and Chanell Brick, who has resigned as a municipal enforcement officer.
• Members of council have passed a resolution to enter into an agreement with the RM of Kindersley for the placement of a radio tower within the town’s boundaries. A radio tower sat on top of the old water tower.
Councillor Gary Becker said he spoke to Councillor Gord Wilson of the RM of Kindersley, who told him the radio tower was on the old water tower and there is a desire to move it because the old water tower could be taken down. The radio tower will be placed on the new water tower as per the agreement.
• The town’s elected officials have passed a resolution to enter into an agreement with GEA Systems North America LLC to provide start-up services for the ice plant at the West Central Events Centre. Council approved the agreement for services with a quote of $11,900.
• Council has passed a resolution for the request for proposals (RFP) for the new fire hall project. The resolution directs the administration to terminate the active Build as Designed RFP without awarding a contract, and to publish a Design-Build RFP.
[/emember_protected]
