Two resolutions put forth by the RM of Weyburn were approved by the delegates of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), which held their mid-term convention recently in Saskatoon.
SARM will lobby the provincial government on behalf of the RM of Weyburn to move recreational properties, such as the Weyburn Golf Course, into a new tax class and to allow RMs to use tax tools to deal with property class issues.
RM of Weyburn Reeve Carmen Sterling attended the SARM convention and said that if this resolution is passed by the provincial government it would apply to all privately owned recreational facilities. She said that the ways things are now puts the Weyburn Golf Course at a bit of a disadvantage to other nearby recreational facilities, such as the golf course at Moose Mountain Provincial Park, which is exempt from paying taxes.
"Right now, the golf course is assessed as a commercial class," said Sterling. "If it was within the municipality it could be put into a sub-class and apply for a different mill rate."
The RM wants permission to classify certain properties under a sub-class similar to the way that municipalities do.
A resolution from the RM of Francis was also passed. SARM will lobby the government on their behalf to grant a tax exemption for grain elevators that are owned by farmers and used for grain storage.
