The Saskatchewan government has backed away from a plan to take municipal reform recommendations to cabinet by the end of April.
Premier Roy Romanow has called on the rural and urban municipal associations to sit down with the government and develop a proposal by May 15.
Rural delegates were discussing the request April 17 and urban councilors were scheduled to do the same April 18. Both groups have been vehemently opposed to forced amalgamation or restructuring.
Their decisions were unknown before Western Producer deadlines, but if they agreed to further discussions, the government pledged to delay the end of April deadline.
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Municipal affairs minister Clay Serby has always said he would take recommendations to cabinet by the end of the month.
In a letter to the associations, Romanow said the government prefers a voluntary approach and wants to work with the municipal-provincial roundtable “to develop a viable proposal for municipal restructuring that can meet our shared, over-arching objective of promoting economic and social development.”
Reserve funds intact
Romanow also assured municipalities their reserve funds would remain in their hands.
His offer came after Serby said last week he may introduce “transitional” legislation this spring. It would set out the number of municipalities and allow urban centres of less than 500 people to merge with rural municipalities.
Serby made his comments outside the legislature, moments after he said the government has “no plan on this side of the House to do any amalgamation of any sort.”
Among the options are reducing the number of municipalities from more than 1,000 to 125, or to create 11 or 17 regional governments.
Meanwhile, the chorus of opposition to forced amalgamation grew when several Regina-area businesses chimed in last week.
They wrote to government and opposition members expressing their concern about what amalgamation would do to their tax rates.
Brandt Industries Ltd. has three properties in the RM of Sherwood surrounding Regina, including its agricultural products division.
President Gavin Semple said forced amalgamation as proposed in two reports would result in a significant property tax increase.
“We also object to, and find offensive, the undemocratic, top-down approach being taken by your government in an apparent attempt to force amalgamation upon the ratepayers in a tight time frame before they have an opportunity to study the impact,” Semple wrote.
He said he is not opposed to amalgamation if it results in more efficient government and lower taxes, but he has not seen any evidence that will happen.
Serby said he had spoken to the businesses and told them if amalgamation did go ahead, municipalities could use variable mill rates to mitigate any tax hikes.
“That’s what they use in cities today and so easily you could have consolidation of municipalities and no impact on tax base at all,” Serby said.
