News Releases

The City of Saskatoon (City) has once again been awarded as one of Saskatchewan’s Top Employers for 2014!  This achievement is highlighted in a magazine supplement in today’s Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Regina Leader-Post.

The City applied for the competition last year and the winners were selected according to a number of factors including: physical workplace, workplace atmosphere, benefits, vacation and time off, employee communications, performance management, training and skills development, and community involvement.

“While I am proud of our past accomplishments, I am very excited about our future.  We have a new vision for our great city and a strategy and workforce plan on how we will achieve this vision,” City Manager Murray Totland says. “Our staff is well prepared to face the changes of our rapidly growing community.  Without their dedication and hard work, we would not be a top employer.”

To again be recognized as one of Saskatchewan’s Top Employers for 2014 is a welcomed achievement for the City.  The City continues to promote forward-thinking and the use of innovative ways to increase employee satisfaction and engagement levels, all part of dedication to its corporate Strategic Goal of building a culture of continuous improvement.

The City of Saskatoon employs over 4,000 people and offers a broad range of career opportunities, a workplace that prides itself as an employer where employees can “Build a Career – and Shape a City.”

“This is our third year of recognition as one of Saskatchewan’s Top Employers.  I am proud to say the City has built a reputation as a great place to work and build a career,” Employment & Total Compensation Manager Mubarka Butt says.  “We were pleased this year to include our employee testimonials and their career paths at the City as part of our application,” Butt says.  “You know you are doing something right as an employer when your employees want to tell others about why they love working for the City!”

“To continue to build a stimulating and supportive work environment for our employees, we have aligned our workplace structure to enhance employee engagement.  This will ensure we have the absolute best chance to be successful in meeting our corporate Strategic Goals,” Butt says.

“The City is excelling in many areas because of our employees and the positive attitude they bring to work every day.  Our employees continue to make Saskatoon an even greater place to live – a 21^st Century City and a real ‘can do’ organization we can all be proud of,” Totland says.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon

on Twitter and Facebook.

 

The City of Saskatoon is pleased to announce the launch of the Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon website at www.growingfwd.ca. 

“Growing Forward! is an exciting initiative that will take us from vision to action - on how we grow to half a million people,” says Alan Wallace, Director of Planning and Development.  “The Growing Forward! website is mobile-friendly and is the first step to providing ample opportunities for people to have their say about their future.”

Change is inevitable and how the City manages that change is important.  Growing Forward!  Shaping Saskatoon is a wide-reaching public planning exercise.  It will help guide civic investments to accommodate Saskatoon’s growth to half a million people within the next 30 to 40 years. 

“The input we get from the website will be incorporated into the City’s Growth Plan to Half a Million,” Wallace says.  “We hope this framework will allow us to make changes in our community in a way that will keep Saskatoon a prosperous and great place to live for all citizens.”

Growing Forward! will build on a strong foundation of past achievements and public input.  It will look at ways to improve how we move around Saskatoon while making sure growth within the City remains sustainable.  This project will address three key elements:

• Shaping Growth;
• Shaping Transit; and
• Shaping Bridges.

A public event will be held on Tuesday, February 25, 2014, at TCU Place to start the discussion about future options for transit, bridges, and how to shape Saskatoon’s growth to half a million people.

For more information on Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon, please visit www.growingfwd.ca.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

"CONTINUING STRONG ECONOMY”: ‘AAA’/STABLE CREDIT RATING AGAIN

For another year, the City of Saskatoon has earned the highest possible rating from international bond rating agency, Standard & Poor’s; S&P today reaffirmed its ‘AAA’/stable credit rating for Saskatoon - one of the hottest Canadian economies.

“Standard and Poor’s assessment again sends the message that the City’s budget process and resource allocation is open, accountable and transparent, and that Saskatoon has an economy that will keep our growth on track,” says His Worship Mayor Donald Atchison.

Every year Standard & Poor’s reviews the City’s finances and delivers the credit rating and supporting rationale in a report based on that study.

“This is exactly what we work toward every day,” says Acting Chief Financial Officer Kerry Tarasoff. “Saskatoon continues to be headed into healthy economic times, and S&P’s rating underlines that position.”

As it did last year, Standard & Poor’s continues to view the financial outlook for Saskatoon as stable. The agency is confident that cash flow and cash investments will increase to offset any rising debt. In other words, Saskatoon’s leading economy is expected to keep growing.

“Saskatoon's economic fundamentals are very strong, in our view” the report says. “We think Saskatoon is managing its growth well, and we expect this will continue.”

The City of Saskatoon demonstrates strong and prudent financial policies and solid management, and these have a positive impact on the credit profile. The City has received the ‘AAA’/stable credit rating every year for more than a decade.

Receiving a ‘AAA’ credit rating essentially means that the City of Saskatoon can borrow money at lower rates, and is viewed by financial institutions as having virtually no-risk with respect to defaulting on credit. The City of Saskatoon’s favorable budget performance, as well as its self-generated revenues, continue to place the City in a strong and stable financial position, supporting the City’s Strategic Goal of Asset and Financial Sustainability.

 For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases,  Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m. on January 22, Cumberland Avenue South between Taylor Street and 1st Street will be closed while crews replace a sewer connection.  Drivers are encouraged to use Louise Street.

The roadway is expected to reopen by 6:00 p.m., weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.  The City thanks everyone for their patience. 

Drivers are reminded to allow extra time when travelling through the orange zone, watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Find up-to-date traffic detour information at www.saskatoon.ca/go/traffic and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

On Wednesday, January 8, any required 2014 Assessment Notices will be mailed to the owner’s property or properties located in Saskatoon. The Assessment Notice lets owners know the assessed value of their property, which is then used to determine how much property tax must be paid. Property Tax Notices will be delivered in May 2014, once education rates are determined as part of the provincial budget. 

Since 2013, property owners have been paying property tax each year based on the value of their property as of January, 2011. Province-wide revaluations take place in Saskatchewan once every four years; 2013 was a revaluation year, and 2014 begins the second year in the four year assessment cycle.

“Our goal is to create and conduct property assessments that place fair, accurate, and equitable values on properties,” City Assessor Les Smith says. “Increases or decreases to the amount of property tax due to the 2013 revaluation are phased-in over the four year cycle,” adds Smith. “The annual tax bills will be adjusted each of the four years to include any appropriate phase-in adjustments.”

The City of Saskatoon collects taxes on behalf of the City, the Provincial Government for the Public and Separate School Boards, and the Saskatoon Public Library. Each taxing authority establishes its annual budget, and after taking into consideration other sources of revenue, determines the total revenue required through taxation.

The City uses a valuation approach that ensures property values are a reflection of the market value on a given date.  Factors like location (neighbourhood) of the property, traffic patterns around the property, views, and the property structure are all used to determine an assessment value. Adjustments are also made for other factors including size, age, style, garage, etc.

As this is a non-revaluation year, property owners have 30 days to appeal their assessment. Appeals can be made until February 10, 2014, by mail to: Secretary, Board of Revision, c/o City Clerk's Office, City Hall, 222 - 3rd Avenue North, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7K 0J5.

Property owners, visit saskatoon.ca and click on ’A’ for Assessment, or use the Property Assessment Online Tool which provides market and assessment information.  Property owners can also contact Assessment and Taxation at 306-975-3227 for additional information, or visit the Assessment and Taxation Division in person at 4-325 Third Ave N, located one block north of City Hall.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.