Municipal Services

The R.M. of Lumsden offers a wide range of services to its ratepayers. Regular routine road maintenance. There are snow plow clubs set up for snow removal practices.

The R.M. puts out a very detailed, colored map that shows all current assessment values, land owners and designates organic farming.

There is Rat and Mouse poison available through the R.M.office at no charge for the ratepayers. Gopher poison is available at a nominal fee. The R.M.of Lumsden is diligently working at obtaining a gopher poison with a higher strychnine content for its ratepayers.

Road Maintenance

All road maintenance work done by R.M. equipment and employees is to be co-ordinated through the public works committee.

Grading: The Municipality owns 3 graders. Grading of roads is done on a regular rotation basis with Grid roads and high traffic roads receiving first priority. Council's intention is to cover the municipality approximately every 10 days. However, during wet and dry spells the frequency of grading may be altered. Grader work is coordinated by the road committee, who instruct the manager of their decision, who in turn, is responsible for the grader operators. The ratepayers first line of contact is with their division Councillor.

Gravelling: Each division Councillor sets gravelling priorities in his division and must have this part of his public works program approved by Council prior to striking the municipal budget for that year. The municipalities main source of gravel comes from a gravel pit leased by the R.M. of Lumsden from Sask. Ag and Food and is located in NE-6-21-22-W2. Our other source of gravel is from the Dept. of Highways pit located in the Regina Beach Community Pasture. (Our budgeted expenditure in 2008 was $218,705)

Mowing Ditches: The municipality owns a 2008 New Holland Bi-Directional Tractor and a 16 foot Schulte mower for mowing ditches in the municipality. Council proposes to mow all municipal local access roads one round annually and all grid roads, to have complete right of way, mowed by fall.

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Road Construction

The Municipality has 53 miles of grid road; 214 miles of gravel road; 53 miles of dirt road and 17 miles of pavement.

The Division Councillor and the Administrator are responsible for administration of the designated road construction program and the supervision of same.

The R.M. policy for the purchase of right-of-way land is, the municipality pays 10 times the assessed value of land.

The R.M. policy for the removal and replacement of fencing for the purpose of road construction is as follows:

Two Wire Fence $800.00 per ½ mile
Three Wire Fence $900.00 per ½ mile
Four Wire Fence $1000.00 per ½ mile

If the fence is not replaced one-third the rate would apply.

Note: The ratepayer will be responsible for all materials. Fence must be replaced within one year from the time the road construction is finished, or the last two-thirds of the payment will not be paid.

For General Information contact us.

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Snow Removal

SNOW REMOVAL POLICY

The Rural Municipal Council and Foreman will undertake the removal of snow utilizing the Municipal grader, in conjunction with authorized snow plow clubs from designated roads in the following priority:

1. Grid roads
2. School bus roads
3. Farm access and residential roads
4. The Municipality does NOT provide snow removal on private property.

In order to maintain access to individual properties throughout the Municipality, it is critical for every ratepayer, to either privately or in conjunction with an authorized snow plow club provide for snow removal. Applications  must be submitted annually by November 30th.

Authorized Municipal Snow Plow Clubs:
One or more persons may apply by completing a Municipal Snow Plow Club Application. Insurance requires the application include a list of members, operators and road maps detailing roads for snow removal.

Applications must be submitted annually by November 30.

Snow Plow Club Agreement - Application Form

Each year a base Municipal grant of $30 per mile will be paid to the Authorized Snow Plow Club. Council may increase this grant when excessive and/or prolonged snow conditions occur.

Each authorized Snow Plow Club is responsible for determining and collecting individual membership fees. Individual members are required to pay their fees promptly to ensure their snow removal needs are met.

Snow Removal on School Bus Routes:

• Authorized Snow Plow Clubs will greatly enhance snow removal on school bus routes.
• The school bus driver will determine whether or not the normal bus route is safe to travel.
• If the bus cannot safely travel the route, the parent(s) of the school child/children affected may be required to meet the school bus at an alternate location determined by the school bus driver.

Snow Removal in severe weather or temperature conditions:
During sever weather or temperatures below –30o C, the Municipal Foreman in consultation with Council, will determine whether or not Municipal equipment will be used for snow removal.

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Grass Cutting

The municipality owns a 2008 New Holland Bi-Directional Tractor and a 16 foot Schulte mower for mowing ditches in the municipality. Council proposes to mow all municipal local access roads one round annually and all grid roads, to have complete right of way, mowed by fall.

R.M. Mapping

Our last municipal map was produced in 2005.  This map will be updated to reflect the 2009 revaluation assessment values and the many property changes which have occurred.

The use of global positioning allows for both municipal and residential access roads to be shown accurately on the map. This feature along with the development of the proposed provincial 911 system, will enhance emergency service response to the rural area.

We have also added zoning district information to our map. This information allows an individual to determine which District their land lies within. The municipality is divided into the Valley Development District and the Rural Development District. Each District has its own development goals and objectives and zoning requirements.

The revised municipal map is available at the R.M. office, at a cost of $5.00 each.

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Rat Control

The municipality’s Pest Control Officer is Jim King. Should you require his services or information, please call the Municipal office. Jim makes routine visits to the ratepayers to ensure any potential problems are taken care of.

Rat control products are available free of charge, at the discretion of the Pest Control Officer. Annually, each resident may obtain from the R.M. Office the following products:

4 boxes of ratak or 12 bags of warfarin.

Gopher Poison - $9.50/2.5 kg container

Weed Control

The R.M. has a weed control officer and he is Councillor Tom Harrison.

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