Moose Jaw voting in election and referendum

People in Moose Jaw won’t just be voting for the mayor and council on Wednesday, they’ll also be voting in a referendum.
 
In July, a petition triggered a referendum on how the city will pay for the replacement of cast-iron water mains, which is already under way.
 
Originally, the city decided to use a Local Improvement Program, which would have property owners pay for about 30 per cent of the project — about $7,400 for the average lot.
 
There was a bit of a backlash from some residents who felt they shouldn’t have to pay for the work, so a petition was started.
 
The referendum will ask whether residents agree:
 
“That the City of Moose Jaw’s replacement of water and sewer mains be funded from general city-wide revenues and/or reserve funds, not from local improvement project special assessments.”
 
Election
 
As for the elections for city council and mayor, voters will have more to choose from this year.
 
Five people are running for the mayor’s seat, including incumbent Deb Higgins. Only two people ran for mayor in the last election.
 
There are also 23 people running for the six seats on city council. There will be at least two new city councillors, as Candis Kirkpatrick and Patrick Boyle are not running again this year. Nineteen people ran for city council in the 2012 election.
 
Click here to see the candidates and their profiles on the City of Moose Jaw’s website.