Property taxes down almost 12 per cent in Moosomin this year

November 30, 2025, 5:30 pm
Kara Kinna

Property taxes are down almost 12 per cent—11.84 per cent to be precise—in Moosomin this year as the town took a hard line on costs in its 2025 budget.

There will be no change to the mill rate in 2025, which will remain at 13.5 mills, and there will be no change to the minimum tax, which will remain at $750 for residential improvements.

2025 was a revaluation year in the province, and with that revaluation, property assessments changed in value.

Overall, the total taxable assessment for the town of Moosomin was reduced from $292.7 million to $257.5 million due to the revaluation.

Mayor Murray Gray said council decided to try to keep taxes as low as possible, despite costs associated with a new water treatment plant coming online this year to accommodate growth, and water line expansion to accommodate growth.

Moosomin’s overall tax revenue will be down this year by approximately $470,000.

The town budgeted a small surplus of $11,809 for 2025. Mayor Murray Gray says it was important to council to show that they are being fiscally prudent with taxpayers’ money while holding the line on taxes and still continuing to move forward with important infrastructure projects so that the town can keep pace with growth.

While the amount the town is taking from local taxpayers is down, it will receive more from the provincial government.

Revenue Sharing will see an increase of $50,089 from $769,662 to $819,751 in 2025.

“It’s a tough budget. We have lots of projects to do,” said Gray. There are some big capital projects as far as putting in a water line on the north side of Highway 1 by Mazers for future development and we’re doing a full six blocks of underground pipes for water on Alberni, so we have some big projects we are doing.

“We have $500,000 worth of paving in the budget that we hope to be able to do this fall.

“Otherwise we are trying not to raise the mill rate. We know with inflation that people are struggling because the cost of everything has gone up, so we are trying to live within our means and keep taxes as reasonable as we can.
“It’s a tight budget. We don’t have a lot of a surplus planned so we are definitely going to be watching what we spend, which I think is important when you are dealing with someone else’s money.”

He says the town is also looking forward to the effects of continued growth.
The town has been aggressive on growth, offering incentives on commercial development and offering $30,000 for each new house built.

Over the last two years, new construction, from the Cobblestone House development with 42 units, to new apartment buildings to a six-plex and several single family homes, has added more than seven per cent to Moosomin’s total number of housing units in two years.

“A growing community has lots of needs and wants and lots of things that are going to have to be done in the future. We know going forward we are kicking the can down the road for some other big projects that need to be done for sure, but we will go one year at a time. In the long-term planning over the next 10 years, there are certainly lots of big projects that are going to need to be done, things that are going to need to be addressed. But hopefully we can pay for some of those not with an increase in the tax rate but by an increase in the tax base with economic development and by growing our assessment.

“Some of these big projects coming online, that will certainly add to our tax base which will help with those bigger projects we need to do.
“We continue to consistently spend on economic development and I think that’s the key to the growth and the future of the town. So that’s an exciting thing that happens year after year. To have the partners that we do have in economic development, that certainly helps work from a regional standpoint. I think that’s something to note, there is certainly no cutback in spending on programs such as economic development.

“I am excited with what the future holds as far as getting that water line on the north side of the highway done. That opens up some more commercial real estate on that side of the highway.

“We still have the housing accelerator fund on the go right now. There’s lots of good stuff happening.

“And you know, if your population was declining, it wouldn’t be nearly as tight a budget because you wouldn’t have all your infrastructure projects in order to get ready for that growth.”

Airport project
The Town of Moosomin has partnered with the RM of Moosomin and other municipalities on the new 5,300-foot paved airport runway in the RM of Moosomin. The town has already made a $100,000 contribution in October 2019, then another $150,000 contribution in October 2023, and will make five annual payments from 2024-2028 in amount of $135,990.00 each year, to bring the total contribution to $929,950.00.

Transportation expenses, streets and sidewalks
In the transportation expenses category, the town will contribute $10,000 to a Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure engineering study for Highway #8 bypass on the west side of Moosomin (which has yet to be completed in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, or 2024).

In other transportation and public works expenditures, the town will continue with the slurry seal/pavement crack filling program, and has budgeted $40,000 for slurry seal, and $20,000 for crack filling. The town also plans on spending another $75,000 for sidewalk upgrades throughout the town. The town has also budgeted $100,000 for hot-mix asphalt spot repairs, as well as $500,000 for recapping at various locations.

Protective and bylaw services
Under the protective services category, the town will be invoiced an estimated $271,500 for the RCMP, and $14,000 for Commissionaire’s to provide bylaw enforcement services.

Landfill expenses
Landfill expenses include a $77,000 expense for installation of additional monitoring wells (piezometers) including the twice annual sampling thereof. Clifton Engineering is also continuing to work on completing a Landfill Transfer Station and a Decommission and Reclamation engineering plan costing a total of $105,000, with $20,000 remaining to be paid in this contract.

Economic development
In April of this year, the Town of Rocanville and RM of Rocanville joined the Economic Development Committee and this will now result in a cost sharing between all parties at 25 per cent from the Town of Moosomin, 25 per cent from the RM of Moosomin, 25 per cent from the CBA, 12.5 per cent from the Town of Rocanville, and 12.5 per cent from the RM of Rocanville.

Recreation projects
In the Recreation Department the town will be working on the following projects:

Borderland Co-op Aquaplex Upgrades for 2025 include:
• Parking lot improvements (fall of 2025)

Bradley Park Upgrades for 2025 include:
• Completion of Fun Zone Area including: Putting green, chipping bunker, driving nets, chipping nets, beach volleyball, horseshoes and croquet
• Community “loaner” sports equipment shed
• Completion of three-court outdoor pickleball facility
• Completion of off leash dog park at Bradley Park
• Upgrades to Royal LePage Miniature Golf Course (community project)
• Upgrades to Legacy Field (community project)
• Additions of score-clocks on: Borderland Co-op Murray Newman Field, Elks Field, Kin Field, Legacy Field
• Soccer field improvements (community project)
• Shale improvements/additions on diamonds
• Completion of Heritage Park (at Bradley Park)
• Four bridges around Bradley Park

Kin Park Upgrades for 2025 include:
• Terry Lynd Outdoor Basketball Facility work continues (community project)
• Upgrades to existing basketball court (community project)
• Drainage improvements

Mike Schwean Arena upgrades for 2025 include:
• Addition of kids playroom in lobby space

Conexus Convention Centre Upgrades for 2025 include:
• Upgrades to meeting room/office space

Nutrien Sportsplex Upgrades for 2025 include:
• Upgrades to bowling equipment
• New deck tables
• Two projector/TVs in Sportsplex

Utilities projects
In the Utilities portion of the budget, the Public Works Department have the following major projects to complete:
1) Replace water main on Alberni Street from the back alley so south of South Front Street to the back alley to the south of Henry Street.
2) Install new water main from North Cemetery along the North Service Road to Mazer’s Equipment

Other multi-year utility projects being worked on:
1) The $13.7 million Water Treatment Plant Upgrade project is ongoing, on budget or slightly below budget, and is to be completed in 2025. The town took out a $3.5 million loan for this project, and this is the second of 15 years of scheduled payments, with an annual payments of $371,278.81 due on October 15 of each year
2) Repair of leaking cell at the Lagoon estimated at approximately $1.5 million
3) Install new water line under CPR Track at Cook Road
4) Have engineer complete the project to review elevations and determine how to alleviate storm water drainage problems on west side of Cook Road.