Candidate Questions - Chris Warren

1 In 2023, for several reasons, a secondary audit was requested of SAMA.  SAMA declined this request.  Currently the City and council have chosen to do nothing in regard to this issue. What are you prepared to do?

I am aware that there have been issues with our property tax assessment model for many years, and that it is a complex system contracted out to SAMA for an annual amount of over $650,000. I have also talked with members of our community and there is a general frustration with both the model, and City Hall’s ability to fully understand or investigate the issues embedded in SAMA, a third-party organization. My understanding is that City Council was to work with the new City Manager, review the situation, and work to bring forward options to address the frustrations and the issues. I intend to bring this forward, research other municipalities property tax assessment models, and work to ensure we have a model that is fair and balanced.

2 Saskatoon has a Governance Committee which oversees their property tax/assessment department, and theirs far exceeds ours.  Are you prepared to implement the changes needed in order to mirror/reflect theirs? Or something better?

I am prepared to research other property tax assessment models, including Saskatoon’s governance committee. I am committed work to work with community members and City Hall to ensure we have a model that is fair and balanced.

3 A In your words what does a Moose Jaw Citizen say when they are asked “What do you think of Moose Jaw?”

I think our citizens would say they love this city, but we could be better, and we can do better.

B If you are elected, what will the Citizens be saying in 4 years?

In four years, my hope is that citizens will be proud to live in Moose Jaw, and that Moose Jaw is an awesome place to visit, to make a home, to raise a family, to work, and to play. I also hope that citizens are saying they feel valued when interacting with City Hall, and that City Hall cares about them.

4 Right now there is a lot of talk about a proposed hotel on the zero block of River Street West. Rumours which include the potential building of a parkade by the City in the area. The question is as an elected official how much City money - if any - are you prepared to spend either directly or indirectly in an effort to see the proposed hotel development get off the ground?

Economic development is so important to a municipality and is a sign of confidence that a city is a good place to live, work, play, and visit. Moose Jaw is also a city built on tourism, and revitalizing River Street with a hotel would be unbelievably great for our city.  I believe a municipality should not directly fund private industry or private developments, but there are many things we can look at doing to support a development like this, including quick and efficient permit processes, selling City land, and waiving property taxes through a tax incentive program.

5 Are you in favour of more or less funding by the way of levies? Or do you favour finding more funding by the way of tax increases? Can you explain your reasoning?

I believe our infrastructure is one of the most important and critical priorities that City Hall and City Council must address. I know the City has improved efforts over time in some of these areas, including the use of levies, but there is always more that can be done. I am willing to utilize levies and property taxes to fund infrastructure investments, however I need to understand the rationale behind using either scenario. My goal would be to identify a fair and balanced approach into funding and investing dollars into the renewal of critical infrastructure at the right place and at the right time to ensure the infrastructure is reliable and meeting needs, but also maximize the life expectancy.

6 In your own words what is the most important infrastructure projection that needs to be completed. Where or how would you locate funding for this project?

Infrastructure investment and renewal is so important to the quality of life now, and for future generations. Core infrastructure includes roads, water, sewer, and recreational amenities, and investments in this infrastructure creates investment in our community. I do understand that municipalities have limited opportunities to raise funding outside of property taxes and levies, and so I would be working with colleagues on City Council to seek and approve federal and provincial funding and grant opportunities.

7 Affordability is a major concern for many residents. Are you prepared - yes or no - to strive to make Moose Jaw more affordable? Can you briefly explain how you would accomplish this?

My goal would be to work with City Council and Administration to keep property taxes increases fair, reasonable, and affordable. While I recognize that some increases may be necessary due to the inflationary costs of providing services and maintaining our infrastructure, we need to ensure we are prioritizing that work and those services to ensure we are delivering core services that meet the needs of citizens and the future prosperity of our community. That means that if there are non-core services that the City Hall is funding, I would look closely at how we might be able to reduce that funding and redirect to higher priorities.

Another way to make our services more affordable is to improve service delivery without increasing costs. What that means to me is that instead of just adding more money to improve a service, we need to evaluate the services City Hall provides, get a true understanding of the costs and delivery of the services, and make changes within existing resources that will have a positive impact on the customer experience and needs.