The City of Martensville hosted their monthly Committee of the Whole meeting on September 10th. The meeting began with an update from Leah Bloomquist, City of Martensville Director of Corporate Services, on the 2019 Budget Variance Report. Bloomquist noted some key points in her report that were related to capital items that had come through Council for approval previously. Tyson Chillog, City of Martensville Deputy Mayor, took a moment to thank Bloomquist for the work that was put into the report.
Bloomquist then moved on to request some direction from Council regarding a request made from local business owner Derrick Kauk of DRK Investments regarding retroactive tax abatement for his property located at 709 & 713 Centennial Drive North. Bloomquist provided the background information to Council. This item will be brought back to Council for the September 17th meeting for formal approval.
Next, Ted Schaeffer, City of Martensville Director of Recreation and Community Services, discussed modifications being made to the Sports Centre Ice Use Policy. This past July, a draft copy of the policy was presented to Council, which they were in favour of; however, before official approval would be made, they asked that the policy be presented to local groups/organizations that utilize the ice and get some feedback. Following the feedback, modifications were made to dressing room access times to better accommodate the needs of the users. Council was in favour of approving the Ice Use Policy and it will be brought back to an upcoming meeting for formal approval following a few minor changes being made to the policy.
Dillon Shewchuk, Community Economic Development Manager, spoke to Council regarding two requests from businesses to take part in the economic development tax incentive program that the City of Martensville offers. The first will be for an expansion of the Checkered Flag building, which would see an additional 4200 sq. ft. added on for lease space of businesses that would complement the automotive industry. One of the spaces has already been spoken for by a local home based business that will be moving to a store front. This project would be eligible for a 3-year tax abatement.
The second was for a project located at 40 Centennial Drive North, between Tim Hortons and Pharmasave. This would consist of the construction of two new buildings of 6000 and 2000 sq. ft. respectively. A total of seven bays would be available for lease. Exceeding $1 million dollars, this project would be eligible for a 5-year tax abatement. Shewchuk noted that projects such as this are beneficial to the community, as they increase non-residential inventory, and create opportunity for new businesses in a good location. Both requests will be brought to an upcoming meeting for formal approval.
The next Council meeting will take place on September 17th. All meetings are open to the public and begin at 5pm within Council Chambers at City Hall. For information about upcoming meetings, or to view the agenda for each meeting, visit www.martensville.ca.
