Three non-profit organizations were granted a 50-per-cent tax abatement on their municipal taxes by city council by a 5-2 vote, with the dissenters saying this will cost residential taxpayers more money.

The tax break was granted to the Masonic Lodge, the IOOF Lodge and the Lions Club, and combined will cost the city $1,988. Broken down by facility, the Masonic Lodge will save $527.50, the Lions $283 on their Lions Den building, and the IOOF Lodge will save $1,177.50 on the municipal portion of their taxes.

Coun. Ray Hamm said he opposes giving tax breaks, not because he opposes the groups but because city residents will have to make up the difference.

"There's a danger that people may interpret this as opposition to the groups represented here and that is not the case at all. I think this would be moving in the wrong direction. We need to have fewer tax abatements rather than more," he said.

Coun. Dick Michel agreed with his points, adding, "This means someone else has to take up the slack. It's nothing personal to those groups, but there has to be other means of dealing with this."

"I don't disagree, except these are all non-profit groups who donate any revenue back to the community, so any dollars we take away are taken away from dollars that would support their projects," said Coun. Rob Stephanson.

He added he doesn't want to see another service club-owned building turned over to the city, such as happened with the Elks Lodge last year.

The other issue the council needs to deal with, said Coun. Stephanson, is how to make a level playing field between these groups and those who don't pay any taxes at all, such as the Legion and church halls.

Coun. Bill Rudachyk also noted none of these three named organizations have employees despite owning their own halls.

Mayor Don Schlosser said until the city can implement one fair, across-the-board fee-for-service charge, the various groups aren't going to be dealt with on an equal basis.

Council approved third and last reading to changes to its snowmobile bylaw, reversing a change that would have removed access to Sims Avenue along Highway 39.

At their Dec. 22 council meeting, Coun. Stephanson said he was ready to ban snowmobiles from Sims Avenue until he and most other members of council went on a tour of the groomed trails with members of the Souris River Snowmobile Club to see what they have in place for signs and controlling users of the trails.

"I think it makes much more sense to have Sims Avenue accessible with signage and regulations, and hopefully this will eliminate some of those who are not following the regulations," he said. "To me it's safer to have them using the Sims Avenue route as it's set out."

Coun. Rudachyk said he would also support the bylaw, which gives the snowmobile club the authority to patrol and regulate use of the snowmobile trails, and added the most potential for danger are on the edges of the city and in areas like his, on Scott Street, where the residential area borders on to the Souris Valley grounds and the open country beyond.

He said the police department also assured the council they would increase their vigilance and attempts to deal with problem snowmobile riders within the city limits.

The rental rates for Tom Laing Park and Signal Hill Arts Centre will go up by 10 and five per cent respectively, to bring each facility closer to the user-pay level of 50 per cent of the cost of running the facilities.

Of all the city's recreational facilities, Tom Laing Park is perhaps the farthest behind the targetted level of 50 per cent user pay, with the city paying 75 per cent of the expenses to operate the two ball fields.

The fees were increased an average of three per cent in 2001, the same as for other city facilities, and by 10 and nine per cent in 2002 and 2003. Council felt a further hike of 10 per cent is needed to bring the rates more in line to the cost of running the ball park.

For single games, the fee charged to minor ball teams and fastball teams will go from $62.50 to $68.75, and for senior ball (such as the Sr. Beavers) the fee will go from $125 to $137.50. The charge for using the lights will rise from $55 an hour to $60 an hour, and will be more strictly enforced this coming season.

For Signal Hill, fees have risen every year the past four years, by averages of six, four, 10 and five per cent respectively. The revenue recovery for the year 2002 was 40.9 per cent. This year fees will rise by an average of five per cent, similar to fee increases also set for the arenas and the Leisure Centre which took effect in September.

Also in council business:

· A 2.8 per cent increase in the remuneration paid to the mayor and councillors was approved by council, to take effect Jan. 1; with this increase, the mayor will now receive an annual indemnity of $20,050, and each councillor will receive $5,400, plus $57 for attending council and administrative committee meetings, $31 for attending city-appointed committee or board meetings, and a daily per diem of $103 for attending to city business outside of Weyburn or while attending a convention in the city. They are also paid mileage of 33¢ per kilometer while on city business outside of Weyburn. Any increases in remuneration in 2005 and thereafter will be tied to the rate of inflation.

· Write-offs for utilities and a tax enforcement list were approved by council; the utility accounts to be written off from 2001 to 2003 total $4,367. In addition, a total of $3,589 in outstanding utilities bills will be transferred to the property tax bill of 27 properties, 16 of which are Pioneer Place rentals. For tax arrears, tax enforcement proceedings will begin on eight city properties, including York Auto on Railway Avenue, Dee Jay's Chicken Village at 112 Sims Avenue, and Marcil Holdings at 315 Railway Ave.

· Council passed a bylaw to establish an administrative review body, which will hear complaints from the public or investigate any matter relating to the administration of the city or of any city agency; the Review Officer will not investigate any complaints where an appeal process already exists (like the Development Appeals Board), and any decision or recommendation by council or city-appointed committee is excluded.