The costs and benefits of setting up a public transit system in Weyburn were presented in a report to city council at their meeting on June 26 by consultant Wally Atkinson.

Atkinson also studied the forms of transit in other similar or slightly larger-sized cities in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and is recommending Weyburn try a flexible route diversion system similar to what Yorkton currently uses.

In addition to this study, he will provide a feasibility study to council at their next council meeting, after he obtained input from 16 members of the community and interviewed all current providers of transportation in the city.

Under the flexible route system, potential bus stops are numbered throughout the city like in a fixed-route system, but the bus will only go to a particular stop if someone has phoned for it. This allows the bus to shortcut the route when there are no requests, and makes the route more efficient during off-peak hours when one vehicle can cover the whole city.

Yorkton uses a major mall, the hospital and a downtown stop as timing points with a fixed arrival schedule, with no doorstep pickups.

Those wanting a ride phones the dispatcher to tell them which stop they want to be picked up from, and what their destination is, and the dispatcher will give them an approximate time.

Other options that were included in the report include a dial-a-bus system, similar to the service now provided by the Care-A-Van service for those with disabilities and seniors; a fixed-route system, which can be as simple as a single residential bus loop going through the downtown on an hourly basis; and a shared-ride taxi transit system, as used in North Battleford, or a subsidized taxi service as used in Lloydminster.

On costs, Atkinson told council the costs range widely, depending on the system. A fixed-route transit system would cost Weyburn about $60,000 in subsidy and $30,000 to implement in its first year, and as ridership grew, the subsidy cost would go down to $40,000 after two years. A dial-a-bus would cost $30,000 to implement with an annual subsidy of $81,600; route diversion would also cost $30,000 to implement with a subsidy of $64,250 in its first year. A shared-ride taxi system would cost $15,000 to implement with an annual subsidy of $10,000. A straight taxi subsidy would cost $2,500 to implement with an annual subsidy of $12,000 in its first year.

Asked if any of these other systems run without a deficit, Atkinson said only the system in Banff had any profit, because of its use by tourists. "All other systems run with a subsidy," he said.

He added that actual costs in other cities range from $32 an hour without capital costs to $37 an hour with capital costs. The cost in Yorkton is currently the highest at $47 a hour to operate.

Most of the systems also operate only from Monday to Friday, although some longer-established ones offer a limited service on Saturday and Sunday morning only.

Coun. Dick Michel said he liked the idea of sharing the bus service with the school systems and the Care-A-Van Society, but noted as this would be a budget item for the city, it was put over for budget deliberations for 2008.

"We need to seriously look at this report and digest it, then we can make a decision, probably the sooner the better," said Mayor Debra Button.

The city's Environmental Resources committee needs to increase its monthly fee on city utility bills by $1, due to significantly increased costs of recycling its paper and cardboard.

Coun. Rob Stephanson said the fee increase is needed to help cover off the hike in costs while the committee continues to take a look at long-term options for recycling. He added the city would be offering paper and cardboard recycling at a deficit unless the fee increase was allowed, and noted part of the reason is because of the garbage some people are putting into the bins with the paper and cardboard.

"The other option would be to discontinue it, and that's not recommended that we do that," said Coun. Stephanson.

With a note of frustration in his voice, Coun. Stephanson said he's getting tired of continually telling people that only clean paper and cardboard should be going into the bins, and not garbage or paint cans.

"It's pretty ridiculous," he commented, saying the bins at one point "looked like a paint store" from all the paint cans left there. Paint can be recycled only by taking it into the SARCAN bottle depot, not by leaving it at the green recycling bins.

He said they have an idea where some of the garbage is coming from, and hoped it won't come down to where charges have to be laid.

On the question of banning plastic grocery bags, he said a letter was going out to the retail outlets about the issue on their feelings about this possibility.

"I think we're going to be moving positively on this issue. We may not see any more plastic bags in the city as of Jan. 1 if things go well," he said.

He noted the city used to get $25 a tonne for their paper and cardboard, but this was significantly reduced to $10 a tonne because of the refuse in it, and said the city has been told they may end up getting no payment for their recycling if the trend to disposing of garbage in the bins continues.

Rates for leisure services and facilities will be increasing again this coming year, with an average increase of four per cent approved by council.

The rate increase was not unanimous, as Coun. Bill McKenzie said he's getting tired of seeing a constant increase in rates every year. Over the past four years, the increases were five, three, five and four per cent respectively each year.

The average of four per cent will apply to users of the Leisure Centre, Colosseum and Tom Zandee Sports Arena.

The increase will bring the targetted revenue recovery in 2007 to 36 per cent for the Leisure Centre; 49 per cent for the arenas; 36 per cent for Signal Hill; and 16 per cent for others, for an overall recovery rate of 35 per cent.

One of the changes recommended for this year is to eliminate day passes for the Leisure Centre. There will be free swimming once a week sponsored by EnCana, and once a week sponsored by KidSport. The new rates will not take effect until September of 2007.

"It's unfortunate that we have to increase rates. I hate to do it, because it's families with kids who are using these facilities. We are trying to strike a balance, and that's the reason I'll be supporting the increase," said Mayor Button.

Coun. McKenzie, the lone dissenter on the vote, said every year they ask the managers of the various departments to keep costs down, and then "they come back with five to six per cent increase, and this council gives it every time."

Asked if there are concerns voiced by the public over the rate increases, Shauna Bourassa, director of Leisure Services, said there are occasionally some concerns voiced but not always.

Council declined a request from the Weyburn Midget Beavers for a reduced rental rate for Tom Laing Park, so they can host a midget baseball tournament.

The ball team asked that the regular rate of $275 a day be reduced to $100 a day, so they can afford to put on the tournament.

"The rental of Tom Laing is a major expense and we feel we will be unable to go ahead with the midget age group of our tournament if a compromise cannot be reached. As our parent volunteers will be grooming the park and diamond for the duration of the tournament and there will be no cost to the city to provide these services, we feel our request is warranted," said the letter from tournament chair Bert Kauf, and Midget Beavers manager Nola Nikolejsin.

In response, the city pointed out that the city performs all regular and routine ball diamond maintenance to ensure the diamond is in game shape every day, and provide materials, labour and equipment for this.

Coun. Rob Stephanson suggested if this was granted, then next winter every hockey team hosting a tournament would come to the city with the same request. He added that he was of the view the daily rate is warranted, as it does not meet the actual cost to the city to operate the field.