(File photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Angela Brown

COVID-19 procedures

City rental rates to temporarily increase during COVID-19 restrictions

Jun 30, 2020 | 5:09 PM

The City of North Battleford is increasing facility rental rates temporarily due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Based on the approved proposal, rental rates for those booking the city’s indoor facilities will increase by eight per cent to compensate for the added cost to the city to meet the province’s COVID-19 public health requirements.

Rental rates, not already locked in by contract, for the city’s facilities, will be increased by the eight per cent to offset the cost of sanitation required by the public health orders. The increase does not apply to outdoor sports activity associations, membership or day-use rates. It is in effect until such time as provincial public health orders are lifted or discontinued.

“The rental rates were increased by eight per cent in order to offset the costs associated with sanitization and disinfection of the facilities,” Mayor Ryan Bater said. “This will allow us to have adequate staff on-site and supplies to do all that required cleaning.”

Council supported the rate increase to help the city cover its costs.

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With the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan guidelines, the city needs to ensure additional cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing procedures are followed. Staff time and the added cost of product together means the city has higher costs to provide the rental venue, according to administration. The city will also have more site-monitoring work to complete as well.

As a result, rental rates not already locked in by contract will increase for the time being, based on adminstration’s recommendation.

The mayor said the increase will be in place only as long as the province’s public health orders require the city to follow the stringent sanitization rules.

“This is not in perpetuity,” he said. “This is only during the period in which we have the requirement to do it. This is not something that will be around forever.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow