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THE NEWS REVIEW 18-1st Avenue North, Yorkton, SK S3N 1J4
Thursday, April 4, 2013 - Volume 16, Number 7
Council pay formula set By SHANNON DEVEAU N-R Writer
THE BIG WINNER in the Nexera Keys to the Combine contest is Helen Choquette, pictured with her husband Brian. She won the New Holland CR 9090, worth $331,000. Choquette says that they’re excited to take the machine into the field this fall. See a full story on Page 3.
A new salary formula that will see Yorkton’s city councillor and mayor salaries tied to that of a provincial cabinet minister will mean a raise for local council members. In September of 2012 city administration brought forward a report to council in order to review the remuneration policy and amounts paid to members of council. The report showed that after conducting a survey of five other Saskatchewan cities of similar size or slightly larger, it was determined the salaries of the mayor and council of the City of Yorkton were the lowest of the communities surveyed. A independent remuneration review committee was established, consisting of five members of the local business community and at a recent city council meeting their findings were announced. “The City of Yorkton is a public corporation with an annual budget of more than $18 million providing services to a population approaching 20,000 people,” detailed committee member Kevin Lukey to council. “If the city were a private corporation mayor and council as the equivalent of the chairman and board of directors... could receive significantly higher compensation that has been the case or is being proposed now. We recognize that historically, compensation rates for the mayor and council have been lower than the private sector because they have included a component of civic contribution and we are not proposing to change that.” What the committee did propose was setting the mayor’s remuneration at 75 per cent of the annual salary for a Saskatchewan MLA which equates to about $68,850 per year. “Using the MLA salary allows council to adopt a method of determining remuneration that is at arm’s length. A MLA salary is adjusted on April 1 of each year by the change in the Consumer Price Index...” As such says Lukey, this ensures salaries are kept in line with changes to the costs of goods and services. It does not contribute to an artificial escalation of salaries and it means salaries are beyond the ability of the City of Yorkton to influence or control. Councillors will be remunerated at 30 per cent of the mayors salary and increases will be phased in over a two year period.
Spring runoff above average, but not unreasonable
By DEVIN WILGER N-R Writer
The giant stacks of snow around the city might make people nervous, but the City of Yorkton is preparing for this year’s spring thaw. Mayor Bob Maloney says that the city is expecting a spring thaw that is above average, but not beyond what it can easily deal with or hasn’t had in the past. Still, while the city can deal with it, people need to take steps to ensure that the melt goes as smoothly as possible. Brian Stanicki, Yorkton Roadways Manager, says
that right now the city crews are cleaning and inspecting the city’s storm drains and catch basins, and staff will be focusing on keeping the drains open to allow the water to move. One of the main concerns for homeowners in Yorkton is water in basements, and Stanicki says that there are things people need to do for themselves to keep that water outside of the house where it belongs. Cleaning gutters, keeping neighborhood catch basins clear, moving snow away from homes, and putting downspouts down so water
drains at least two meters from the home. In terms of the catch basins, Stanicki says that keeping them clear of snow and debris simply makes it easier for everyone. “It’s pretty much helping out if you can. We’re not expecting you to clean the drain out, but to help us keep it clean until we can get the truck around to fix it up,” he adds. Yorkton’s extensive storm system upgrade should help with the large amount of melt water, and Maloney emphasizes that a storm and a spring thaw are two different things. The upgrades are
designed to be able to deal with the much faster rate of a storm, and can handle the more gradual thaw. “Our system is built to handle it. You might get a bit of ponding, and our guys will react quickly if we do, but our system is built to handle snow melt, so I don’t think we’re anticipating any problems.” If there is ponding, however, Maloney says that the city needs to know about it, in order to clear it up and know where the problems are. However, with the sheer amount of snow in yards and
around the city, Maloney says that people still need to be aware of the problems that occur, and take the necessary steps to protect their homes. “If you get seepage, like I do, you need to be proactive in moving that water away from your foundation, because you could have some issues,” Maloney says. In the interests of helping people in the city protect their homes and property from the spring runoff, the city has set up a website with information and tips on the front page of http://www. yorkton.ca.
Springtime to Save on These Pre-Owned Vehicles! 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix GT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,990 2001 Volkswagon Jetta “TDI” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8,990 2001 Ford Crown Victoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6,990 2003 Nissan Altima . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,990 2004 Chevy S-10 Ext Cab 2WD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,990 2004 Nissan Maxima SE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,990 2004 Nissan Murano SL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13,990 2004 Ford F150 XLT C/Cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11,790 2005 Buick Lucerne CXL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8,990
HAAS
2005 Nissan Frontier C/Cab 4x4 . . . . . . . . . . . . $15,990 2006 Chevy Cobalt SS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,990 2006 Nissan X-trail SE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12,990 2007 Kia Spectra LX5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,990 2007 Nissan Altima 2.5 S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11,990 2007 Ford “Five Hundred” SEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,990 2008 Nissan Rogue SL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $16,590 2008 Nissan Pathfinder SE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24,990 2008 Smart ForTwo “Passion” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8,990
Phone 783-9461 * See dealer for details
2008 Jeep Liberty “North Edition” . . . . . . . . . . . $14,990 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8,590 2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12,990 2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9,990 2009 Nissan Rogue SL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $21,990 2009 Nissan Rogue SL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14,990 2009 Buick Allure CXL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14,990 2009 Nissan Sentra 2.0 S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13,990 2009 Nissan Altima SL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15,990
2009 Nissan Sentra 2.0 S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11,990 2010 Nissan Rogue SL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $22,990 2010 Chevy Silverado C/Cab 4x4 . . . . . . . . . . . $24,990 2010 Nissan Sentra SE-R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $16,990 2010 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12,990 2010 Chevy Equinox LT “AWD” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20,990 2010 Nissan Altima 2.5 S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12,990 2010 Chevy Aveo “5” LT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11,990
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