The pandemic last year delayed city hall from tackling a backlog of nearly 200 water repairs, but with a second engineering crew now working, the municipality has reduced that list by one-third.
The City of Moose Jaw started this year with 164 water infrastructure issues it had to repair, but by Nov. 22, had reduced that number by 51 to 111, Darrin Stephanson, director of public works, said during the recent city council meeting.
“So, one-third has been stricken off the list, and new work is coming online,” he remarked.
Although a second work crew is now operational, there are still five vacant positions on those two teams, Stephanson continued. Having several vacant positions in the department is normal since staff sometimes move to different positions or other departments, while others need to acquire certification before filling positions.
While the backlog of water repairs held steady during the third quarter, the department anticipates that the fourth quarter — October to December — will see a reduction similar to or exceeding the first or second quarters of 2021, he added.
Vaccinated staff
City council implemented new guidelines for proof of vaccination for municipal employees during its Oct. 13 meeting, giving them until Oct. 31 to indicate if they were fully jabbed. If they weren’t, then starting Nov. 1, they had to take weekly COVID-19 rapid tests and provide those results to city hall.
Council also voted to have the city pay for all rapid tests for unvaccinated employees until Friday, Dec. 31. Council would then review the issue during 2022 budget deliberations.
“Our employees are 90-per-cent vaccinated, which is 10-per-cent over the provincial average,” said city manager Jim Puffalt. “Council’s grace period allowed people to get their second shot.”
There are roughly 1,200 people who work for the City of Moose Jaw.
“I’m happy to hear that 90 per cent of staff is vaccinated. Hopefully, in the next little while, there will be more,” said Coun. Heather Eby. “But at the end of December, that will be on their own dime.”
Economic development
City hall launched a campaign during the third quarter called “Before you start, start here,” as part of an economic development initiative to encourage business owners to speak to city hall before starting operations, Puffalt explained.
City administration has heard of business owners who moved into retail locations that were not actually listed for that purpose or use and had not spoken with city hall first, he continued. This caused much consternation for everyone involved.
“We really want to get rid of red tape as much as possible … ,” continued Puffalt. “It might take some time (to acquire a business licence or building permit), so come see us right away. We can try and walk you through the process as best we can.”
Other economic development activities included helping Donald’s Fine Foods with its expansion project at the former XL Beef Plant. Puffalt noted that the company is excited about this project, although it has faced supply chain issues recently.
Donald’s Fine Foods plans to open next September and employ 70 to 100 people.
“That’s a great shot in the arm for our economy,” added the city manager.
Another positive economic story is that SaskPower’s Great Plains Power Station building project is ramping up for 2022 and expects 500 to 700 employees on site for the development, Puffalt said. The Crown corporation plans to speak to council in January about this.
“Next year, they’ll be insanely busy, and that’s great because that’s what we want in the community,” he added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Dec. 6.
