Saskatoon Minute: Councillor Support, Composting Facility, and Voter Registration Returns

Saskatoon Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Saskatoon politics

This Week In Saskatoon:

• The Governance and Priorities Committee will meet on Wednesday at 9:30 am. The Committee will hear that the Saskatoon Police Service has been requested by the Board of Police Commissioners to report on existing programs for community policing and identify opportunities to be more proactive in neighbourhoods with disproportionate crime rates. The Committee will discuss an amendment to the City’s Flag and Proclamations Policy. As of now, an organization is only allowed to apply to the City for one public proclamation a year - the amendment would allow for two. A report about how to alleviate workload for Councillors will also be discussed. (More on that below!).
  
  
• The Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners will meet on Thursday at 1:00 pm. The Saskatoon Police Service has received federal grant funding for two roles that will work alongside the SPS to provide immediate and specialized support to victims and survivors of human trafficking. Also on the agenda is the Use of Force 2023 Annual Report, the Evade Police Incidents 2023 Annual Report, the Contact Interview Policy and Audit - 2023, and a report on Quarterly Crime Activity and Trends from January 1st to March 31st, 2024. The Board will also formally appoint Cam McBride as the City’s new Chief of Police.
  
  
• The Saskatoon Environmental Advisory Committee will meet on Friday at 11:30 am. The Committee will designate a member to attend the Natural Asset Valuation Workshop in June, before hearing a verbal update from the Education Subcommittee and the Water Conservation and Quality Management Subcommittee. Also on the agenda are the Natural Area Management and Conceptual Master Plans for the Small Swale and Richard St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area.

Last Week In Saskatoon:

• The City has partnered with Elections Saskatchewan to prepare for this fall’s municipal elections by creating a voter registry. The City has not had a voters’ list since 1991, with voters instead registering on the day of the election. At the end of this month, the Returning Officer in Saskatoon will gather voter registration data from Elections Saskatchewan to create Saskatoon's municipal registry. Then, beginning in July and running until mid-October, eligible municipal voters will have the opportunity to register or update their voter information through the Elections Saskatoon website. It will still be possible to register on the day of the election as well. The Province has declared May to be Voter Registration Month, and you can update your voter registration online. Saskatoon’s municipal and school board elections take place on November 13th, 2024.
  
  
• The Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities, and Corporate Services approved plans for a composting facility and a solar farm for the City. The estimated cost to the City to build such a facility, on City-owned land near the landfill, would be $22.1 million. This cost was defended on the grounds that it would lead to operational costs much lower than outsourcing to a private facility. The solar farm would be funded by drawing $1.8 million from Saskatoon Light and Power’s reserves and borrowing over $2.2 million, alongside an already committed $4 million, to build the facility on Dundonald Avenue. The new plant is expected to enable Saskatoon Light and Power to decrease its bulk electricity purchases from SaskPower by approximately $450,000 annually, leading to recovery of project expenses within a 16-year timeframe. Both proposals still need to be approved by Council as a whole.
  
  
• A report has outlined options for how to better support Councillors in their roles. The Governance and Priorities Committee will discuss potential options to enhance support for Council members, continuing a discussion on pay and working conditions initiated in 2022. The current pay structure, tied to the Mayor's salary and set at 46% of that salary, is under review, with the current recommendation being to maintain the pay level but to add an external consultant to assess additional support that may be needed. The report outlines three options: maintaining the status quo, increasing support staff and communications allowances, or implementing a ward-based budget to supplement resources for individual Councillors. Any changes would undergo further assessment by City staff and require final approval by the Council, coinciding with preparations for the upcoming civic election. The Mayor earns just over $160,000, and Councillors are paid just under $74,000.