City homeowners will pay an additional $130 in yearly municipal taxes after budget increase

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Another large ticket item is a $2.5 million concrete improvement project at the iplex to alleviate a failing floor caused by heaving piles in the floor slab. This situation has been getting worse over the six years as they have continually monitored the worsening problem.

The South Railway Bridge along South Railway St. is in need of a $600,000 improvement, with the city approving spending to replace existing expansion joints and improve deteriorating concrete.

The City is making an investment of $590,000 to improve their utility billing software, with the new technology providing improved customer service and paving the way for online billing and payments.

The City is also moving ahead with a $570,000 North East Parkway Expansion project to add a wooden boardwalk portion of the Chinook Parkway east of its current northern ending point.

Also approved is $120,000 for refrigeration system upgrades at the Fairview Rink to replace equipment that began to fail at the start of the past hockey season.

There is also $100,000 in spending approved for a continuation of Fibre Optic Network upgrades to connect all city facilities to fibre optics.

Other capital highlights include improvements to the traffic lights at the North Service Rd. and Central Ave. N. intersection, plus developing an athletic field and adding a play structure at the former St. Pat’s School site.

REGULATORY PROJECTS

A total of $2.2 million in spending is required for projects that the City must complete in order to be compliant with regulatory requirements.

“There are a number of capital projects that we’ll complete in 2017 in order to meet new federal and provincial regulatory requirements. These projects will preserve public health and safety, protect our environment, and allow us to maintain operating licences and permits.

The City is spending $400,000 for a compactor to be utilized at the East Landfill to meet provincial regulations that require a higher degree of compaction at the landfill. This will help the City comply with this regulation, but it will also extend the use of the landfill.

The City will be spending $200,000 to create a waste disposal location for Hydromud created during Hydro-vac work. As a result of new requirements by the Ministry of Environment, the City will be selecting and establishing a new site and disposal system.

There is also $135,000 approved in 2017 to reduce the slope grading at the East Landfill, the starting year in a decade of changes to meet new regulations. There was also $150,000 approved for a Storm Water Retention Pond at the east landfill as a result of requirements from the Water Security Agency.

Swift Current is also spending $275,000 for CPR Weir improvements to repair this failing piece of infrastructure. Ice jams and high runoff levels over the past years have damaged the weir and portions of the structure are missing.

CAPITAL BUDGET

Swift Current will be spending $3.6 million on capital rehabilitation and maintenance projects.

Included in this total is: $300,000 for Downtown Streetscape Rehabilitation, $100,000 for storm sewer main rehab work, sidewalk and curbing rehab at a cost of $850,000, downtown streetlight renewal at a cost of $110,000.

The 2017 paved street rehabilitation budget was set at $850,000 to improve between 1.5 and

1.7 kilometres of city streets this coming year.

The higher capital spending also includes the continuation of the light and power conversion, with just over $500,000 being spent to change overhead power lines to underground services in the downtown core.

LAND DEVELOPMENT

The City is also spending money on property development, specifically adding industrial land. In 2015, the last of the available lots in the Munro Industrial Park were sold, so the City has approved a $2 million expenditure to add 28 new lots on a 31 acre parcel adjacent to the current industrial park area. This is the first phase of a longer term project to continue to expand the available industrial properties in the community.

“With continued demand for industrial lot availability, our 2017 property development focus will be adding additional lots at an adjacent area known as South Munro Industrial Park,” Perrault said of the lots which will be available by late 2017.