Prince Albert city council returned for a short special meeting Wednesday to give final approval to three tax bylaws left unfinished after Monday’s lengthy debate over the city’s 2026 tax package.
The special meeting came after a social media uproar over the city’s annual snow management levy notice helped fuel broader public confusion and debate around the tax package earlier in the week.
The meeting was needed after the main property tax bylaw, the snow management special tax bylaw and the roadways special tax bylaw failed to receive unanimous consent for immediate third reading during Monday’s regular council meeting. On Wednesday, council gave third and final reading to all three.
Coun. Daniel Brown, who was present during Monday’s debate, was absent for the special meeting.
There was little debate before the final votes, though Coun. Blake Edwards used the meeting to raise a point about Prince Albert’s tax rate. Edwards asked whether increasing the base tax would reduce the city’s tax rate, and administration confirmed that it would. He also noted that higher grants, rising property assessments and more assessable properties could also help lower the rate.
Coun. Bryce Laewetz again voiced his opposition to the base tax, saying Prince Albert already has one of the highest mill rates while also applying a base tax that many Saskatchewan municipalities do not use.
“So not only are we one of the highest mill rates, we also have a base tax,” Laewetz said.
Laewetz said that remained the main reason he could not support the property tax bylaw. He also relayed a concern from Brown about winter snow clearing, saying one resident on Seventh Street reported their road was never plowed, while two residents in his own ward said their cul-de-sac was also not cleared during the season.
Mayor Bill Powalinsky noted that the winter had been unusual, with repeated snowfalls, rain and freeze-thaw conditions that also contributed to pothole complaints across the city.
Council then moved through the final readings.
A combined motion to give third and final reading to the three remaining bylaws passed 7-1. Bylaw No. 8, the main property tax bylaw, also passed 7-1 on final reading. The snow management special tax bylaw and the roadways special tax bylaw were then passed as well, clearing the remaining items left over from Monday night’s meeting.
Wednesday’s meeting lasted only a few minutes, bringing a formal end to one of the more argumentative parts from the budget season.
