There has been a lot of back and forth on the City of Swift Current's proposal to annex commercial land along Highway 1 west to Lac Pelletier Trail, which the Rural Municipality of Swift Current has objected to.

The RM recently sent a letter to ratepayers affected by the annexation proposal in reply to one sent by Swift Current Mayor Jerrod Schafer. Reeve Bob Neufeld says their letter addresses what they feel are inaccuracies in the Mayor's letter, including the description of the meeting on the proposal set for Friday.

"It's not an open house that they're having on the 25th, it is a public hearing, and there's a difference between an open house and a public hearing," Neufeld said. "According to legislation, it has to be a public hearing where everybody can have something to say or view their opinions."

Neufeld adds the RM also wants the city to wait until a working group of representatives from SARM, SUMA and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs draws up a new procedure governing boundary alterations provincially.

"We really don't see the hurry of getting all this done in a couple of months," Neufeld added. "So it takes a year. At least every ratepayer in Saskatchewan is going to be treated fairly."

Compensation on the proposal was to be determined by the Saskatchewan Municipal Board as part of the process, but Neufeld says the RM believes that their ratepayers should be fairly compensated for land that is already properly developed: "We have a situation in the province where a city has paid an RM 25 times the assessment for bare land, and we feel that we should be compensated for the developed land that the city wants to annex, and that is probably the turning point."

The hearing into the issue will be held Friday at 4:00pm from the Credit Union iplex Auditorium.

*UPDATE* The Ministry of Municipal Affairs told Swift Current Online that despite Reeve Neufeld saying in his interview that they hadn't received any response, they did in fact reply with a letter indicating that the minister does not have the authority to stop the annexation process from going to the municipal board.

Shawn Mullin talked with RM Reeve Bob Neufeld


Here is the full letter from the RM's Annexation Committee:

"The Mayor of the City of Swift Current sent a letter to the ratepayers of the area proposed for annexation from the R.M. of Swift Current which is the SW and NW 26-15-14. The Annexation Committee for the R.M. of Swift Current feel the letter contained a number of inaccuracies and would like to address some of them.

The Mayor referred to the meeting to be held on Friday, May 25, 2012 at 4:00 PM at the Credit Union I-Plex as an “open house” when in fact it is a public meeting. When the City receives an objection to the annexation, they are required by provincial legislation to hold a public meeting, to allow the public the opportunity to express their views on the annexation. At that meeting any person wishing to be heard is entitled to voice their concerns or ask questions.

The city has put much emphasis on the fact that a professional planning firm developed the City growth plan. There has been no reference to suggestions by other professional firms that the plan contained deficiencies. There has been no discussion or opportunity to discuss potential changes with the affected RM. Furthermore, the province did not adopt the city plan. The plan was approved under the Act but that is the requirement for all such plans. This approval does not mean that the province either adopted or endorsed the plan. On two previous occasions the boundary changes proposed in this plan were taken to Saskatchewan Municipal Board and in both instances they were rejected. This is not adoption.

The City has stated that they need this area for continued growth. However, there are very few vacant properties in the area that are adjacent to Highway 1. The City has also stated that they wish to redevelop the area into a retail and commercial area featuring hotels, restaurants, retail box stores and the like. In order to proceed with redevelopment the city will therefore need to have most of the present ratepayers move out. When pressed for details on potential developers or even possible enterprises for the area, there are no answers.

The city has repeatedly assured ratepayers that there will be no changes in taxes in the area except for paying of taxes to the city instead of the RM. If this is so, will the current city commercial businesses be happy that new commercial enterprises will pay significantly less taxes indefinitely? Currently RM taxes are 30% to 50% lower than those of the City. Is it possible there will be an increase in taxes caused by changes to assessment, mill rate factors, or rezoning? These are questions that need to be answered in detail with full disclosure of what the City’s exact plans are for this area regarding taxation.

The mayor also indicates that a higher level of services are needed in this area. The majority of businesses in the commercial strip have indicated that they wish to remain in the RM. They see no benefit in joining the city and are convinced that they will be forced to pay for services they neither want nor need. If services such as sewers and high pressure water are to be put in the strip, how much will it cost and who will pay for it? Earlier comments indicated that there would be no costs until the ratepayers in the commercial strip hooked up. Does this mean that current city ratepayers will bear the costs for some time?

If there is need for redevelopment of the west end commercial strip why does the city not consider redevelopment of the area between 11th Ave NW and 19th Ave NW which is adjacent to the RM portion of the strip . The City already has high end services installed in this area as well as having tax jurisdiction over that area. There doesn’t appear to be any interest in redevelopment of this area. The mayor suggests that many years may be required before any development of the west commercial area might occur. This does not suggest any need in the foreseeable future for annexation of this area.

In December of 2011 the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs released a summary of research undertaken by the department to develop improved procedures and policies for conducting boundary alterations and assigning compensation between municipalities. This document was sent to the municipal sector with a request for comments to be returned by January 16, 2012. In a further response to the request, the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) convened a meeting of Rural Municipalities bordering Urban Centres in March, 2012. From this meeting came a resolution passed unanimously at the annual SARM Convention that a joint committee consisting of SARM, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) be charged with developing procedures and guidelines which would govern boundary alterations provincially and would be based on fairness and equity by all parties. The RM of Swift Current believes that this committee should proceed and that there should be no further contested boundary alterations until the committee has done it’s work. In his letter to RM ratepayers, the mayor clearly stated that he had no interest in the proposed committee and he saw no value in any bureaucratic involvement toward an improved system. What is the hurry? The Mayor has repeatedly said that any redevelopment would occur over many years. Does the City believe the Ministry of Municipal Affairs initiative to be invalid?

The comments made by the mayor in reference to the 2009 board rejection decision are misleading. The city never offered the claimed level of 15x tax assessment compensation prior to the 2009 board decision. Furthermore, the comments of the board in 2009 are of no relevance since the application was denied. That compensation figure is inadequate, irrelevant, and outdated. The RM is committed to tax neutrality, that is, to ensuring that any compensation package occurring as a result of annexation should not penalize either of the parties participating in the process.

The Annexation Committee for the RM of Swift Current believe that the current process by which the city is attempting to expand its boundaries will have a serious negative impact upon all our ratepayers and therefore we are opposed to the annexation.

The RM of Swift Current’s position is that we wish to work with our neighbours for the growth and betterment of the region. Relationships among us need to be based on mutual trust and respect with the overall goal to be fair and equitable to all.

Annexation Committee

RM of Swift Current 137"