Kindersley approves downtown storefront incentive
By Stu Salkeld
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Your West Central Voice
KINDERSLEY—The Town of Kindersley is offering business owners an opportunity to improve their properties while reducing their tax burden through a new Downtown Storefront Enhancement Incentive policy.
Council unanimously adopted the policy during its June 15 regular meeting.
Chief Administrative Officer Marty Baroni presented the draft policy, noting it had been discussed at several previous council meetings.
The policy will allow eligible properties on Main Street and certain nearby blocks to receive a property tax adjustment of up to $2,500 for storefront enhancement projects.
“To ensure high adoption and rapid rollout, the policy focuses strictly on cosmetic façade improvements that should not require a building permit and should not impact their taxable assessments,” stated the staff memo.
Baroni said the first phase of the incentive program supports an objective in council’s strategic plan and would apply to the 2027 calendar year.
“By approving this policy, council will directly advance its commitment to improving the look, feel, and economic vibrancy of Kindersley’s downtown commercial core,” the memo stated.
“We believe that this proposal will hopefully rejuvenate some excitement downtown in the Town of Kindersley,” Baroni told council.
He added that council wanted to reinvest tax dollars into the downtown area after focusing on other priorities in recent years.
“So we’re really excited for this program,” said Baroni.
Town staff plan to meet with all business owners in the affected area following the policy’s approval to allow them time to prepare projects for 2027 and encourage participation.
Baroni noted the program is expected to be a $200,000 item in next year’s municipal budget.
Mayor Ken Francis said council carefully considered various approaches before settling on the policy.
“I guess the public should know we really deliberated long and hard on this topic,” said Francis.
He noted there were differing opinions on how a revitalization program should be structured, but councillors were satisfied with the final approach.
Francis added that the program could not only improve the appearance of the downtown core but also create opportunities for local contractors.
“We’re looking for ways to revitalize our downtown and we’re hoping this is one small step towards that,” said Francis.
During discussion, council noted that if the Main Street program is successful and produces positive results, a similar incentive could be expanded to other areas of Kindersley in the future.
Council approved the policy unanimously.