It was clear from the release of the five-year strategic plan in 2023, that the Town of Shaunavon and its residents value and prioritize infrastructure. 

The freshly adopted 2024 budget reflects the model created through a public survey last year. 

Mayor Kyle Bennett is highly anticipating the completion of the UV disinfection technology installation to two local wells. 

“Everything will be finished after this,” he said. “And we did receive an ICIP Grant funding to complete the project as well, so we're pretty excited about that. That will save Shaunavon taxpayers.” 

The project's estimated cost is $1.146 million; $458,534 via the federal government, $382,074 from the provincial government, and $305,727 from Shaunavon. 

With a capital budget of $5.8 million, the Town is allocating funds to numerous large initiatives such as infrastructure maintenance on local streets, sewers, water distribution system, sidewalks, and more.  

Approximately $560,000 will cover the aggressive paving and patching projects coming up, $100,000 will be put towards sewer main relining and manhole repairs, and $110,000 will be going to sidewalk repairs. 

When it comes to taxes, there is a bit of a hike that residents will notice. 

The mill rate has been adjusted for a four per cent increase this year across all lands and properties. The Town is budgeted for a net property tax levy requirement of $2,213,683. 

“With inflation and everything else going on, it's a small increase,” said Bennett. “We didn't want to go any higher than that, that's for sure. But we're seeing a big increase to our utilities, especially because of the carbon tax. Everything goes up, and we have to follow suit if we want to keep making Shaunavon a great place to live and keep up with the quality of life that people are used to here.”