There’s a lack of taxi service in the evenings to ferry partiers home, Melfort resident Derek Erickson told his local council.
Erickson recommended council at their Jan. 16 look at mandating hours for cab services in the city. Council, fearing that such a change would drive the city’s two cab companies, which are single-driver operations, out of business, decided to use incentives instead.
“We are trying to do this from the perspective of increasing the rates to make it economically viable so that the cab companies will voluntarily look at providing a better service late at night,” said Rick Lang, Melfort’s mayor.
From the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., cabs will be able to charge a flat rate of $18 per ride, an increase of $7.
Coun. April Phillips, the chair of the community services committee, said the new rules are a start.
“I think it’s really hard for us to dictate to somebody’s business of their hours of operation or how to run their business,” she said. “There’s a need in the City of Melfort. It’s a need we want filled and I think it will help. I think the fact they can charge more hopefully will give them the opportunity to maybe have a standby driver or a second driver that would take those hours.”
Lang said if the fees don’t encourage cab service in the evenings, the city would revisit the issue.
Wellness centre progress
More progress has been made with the Wellness Centre, with the city signing a series of documents that will transfer land near the hospital to the right hands.
“It’s been a lengthy process,” Lang said. “There’s been a lot of different things that are involved with the land transfer, getting that right, because you’ve got to realize we’re dealing with land that Kelsey Trail Health Region originally owned and [it] is transferring it to the City of Melfort, who in turn will transfer it to the developer.”
The mayor said the new clinic will benefit the city and the region.
“It’s something that council desperately wants to see go forward so we’re working will all of the parties as best as we can to facilitate everything that has to be done, but it’s certainly more complicated than any of us envisioned.”
The goal is to start construction in March and finish in November.
“That’s the timeline we’re on,” Lang said, “It’s an aggressive timeline, but the developer feels that it certainly can be accomplished and that’s what we’re working towards.”
The next step in the process is to tender the construction of the building.
