Saskatchewan rural municipalities want a better way to deal with disputes that arise when one municipality attempts to annex land from another.
Delegates to the recent Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities convention voted unanimously to develop a fair dispute resolution method and compensation.
They also agreed that until that happens no RM boundaries should be altered unless by mutual agreement.
Dave Dmytruk, administrator for the RM of Swift Current, which put forward the resolution, said there have been more annexation applications over the last few years because of the province’s growth.
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A 2008 application from the City of Swift Current to annex land from the RM has become contentious.
“The proposed application at present involves some $5 million worth of infrastructure that includes paved roads, oversized culverts, etc.,” Dmytruk told the convention. “This infrastructure was developed over the years by the RM with RM dollars and, I might add, with mutual consent from our urban counterparts.”
The city has said the RM is preventing orderly growth of the city.
The Saskatchewan Municipal Board has rejected the city’s application but it can re-apply.
Dmytruk said the situation revealed the need for the province to pass a law to provide guidance to the board.
“We firmly believe in growth and economic development,” he said. “However, we also feel that a fair system needs to be developed and established to address equitable compensation for tax loss and infrastructure, as well as recovering costs where frivolous and needless annexation applications have been rejected.”
