After a municipal by-election was announced, confirmed, and two committee meetings were held last week to preview the council meeting set for tonight in Rosetown; we caught up with Mayor Trevor Hay to discuss the busy start to spring in the town.
Starting with the local election, two candidates are penciled in for the upcoming vote, but it won't be the only one upcoming in Rosetown.
"Right after that there will be another one for an empty councilor seat. Rob Paquette has moved to Saskatoon, so there will be another election."
That, along with a basic agenda of what went on at last week's meetings are available below, as Mayor Hay talked about the importance of these meetings.
"Discussions through those are recommendations going to council meetings for discussion," said Hay about the working meetings, that are always live streamed online, "People can watch this work going on, the discussion about what's happening, and then further discussion goes on at council."
Again the council meeting is set for tonight, but another meeting of note is taking place on Wednesday in town with the Strategic Plan Review. Topics for the night include managing fiscal responsibility, a look into infrastructure renewal & asset management through municipal services and infrastructure, encouraging responsible community growth through Rosetown residents new and old, and finally discussion on engagement, communication, and teamwork. The event is scheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Elks Hall.
"We want engagement from the community," said Hay about service groups, RM's, individuals - whoever has a vision about the future in Rosetown, "It's an open discussion, and our strategic planner is going be hosting the meeting. We are looking for input, because we as representatives on council want to have an open mind, and open discussion about what everyone would like to see in Rosetown. This gives them the opportunity to speak up and speak about how they would like to see the town proceed into the future."
The conversation ended with an off the books question, about just what is being built in Rosetown currently along Highway 7. The big new building is an autobody shop coming to town, something that Hay has great interest in as a direct competitor. When the new shop fires up it will bring some options back to the community, and Hay welcomes the competition from his chair as mayor.
"It's well needed for our community because a lot of places around us have lost their SGI accredited shops, so we have been really busy at our shop. It's definitely a need in the community, and it's going to bring some jobs and people to Rosetown," said the positive Hay, "It keeps people in town, and people coming to town. I never take competition as a negative, it's always a positive. It keeps people sharp, and the service level high because you want to compete right?"
The win-win situation will be a fun one for Hay to follow, as the town's consumers present a chance to win big as well. Tonight's council meeting is set for 7:00 pm, and one thing on the agenda is a look at the recent independent auditor's report showing consolidated financial statements for the town.
Thu, Apr 25, 9:30 AM
