Sedley village council discussed plans at its Nov. 18 meeting to have the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency (SAMA) conduct a community property assessment in 2022.
            The last time the community had an official assessment was in 1989 and chief administrative officer Samantha Gillies said an updated report is long overdue.

            “Every four years SAMA does an assessment estimate for the community, but it has been over 20 years since an actual assessment has been completed,” she said. “Unless I specifically flagged a property, nothing more has been done.”
            The asset assessment would take between six and nine months to complete and would include a voluntary form sent to all residents that would log all updates made on the property. Those who do not wish to complete the form will be scheduled for in-person assessments conducted through SAMA.
            Gillies further explained why council has decided to move on this action now.
            “We originally planned to do this in 2019, but COVID pushed our timeline back,” she said. “Although this is not something enforced through legislation, it will help the council accurately evaluate our assets and properties.”
            Council also discussed two offers that had been made for the village garbage truck that was recently put up for sale. Council agreed to accept an offer of $18,000. The truck was purchased in 2018 and Gillies said that $22,500 has been put into the vehicle between the initial purchase and subsequent inspections and upgrades.
            Coun. Gerard Parent asked whether the prospective buyer was told of the truck’s battery issues, and council heard in response that the buyer was not told of this problem. After consideration, the council agreed to replace one battery with Parent explaining “at least then we know it will start now, but there is no guarantee it will in a year.”
            The meeting also saw first, second and third readings conducted for the village’s new waste transfer station and waste management bylaws.
            Council further heard that the local skating arena had received some upgrades thanks to a $5,000 grant from Affinity Credit Union. Those funds were used to replace the back door and upgrade the water heater. The arena’s Chase the Ace fundraiser is also still underway, with only 11 cards remaining and the jackpot up to $18,500 as of the Nov. 18 council meeting.
            Additionally the Sedley Gym Hall has decided to redo the flooring in the building’s front entrance way. Coun. Donnie Baker explained that “we have been having issues with the level of dedication from board members — things like not attending meetings or responding to calls. But we just decided to go forward with it ourselves.”
            The entranceway water fountain will also be removed and new ceiling tiles will be installed as part of the upgrades.

This article is one of several selected from our Nov. 25 edition for online publication in full. To receive more content like this on a weekly basis (rather than whatever we decide to post online whenever we get around to it), subscribe to The Forum today.