It was a shortened agenda at last night's Estevan City Council meeting due to the mayor's absence, but there were a few items that were discussed and decided.

City Council agreed to raise the credit card limit from $30,000 to $60,000.

"One of the biggest reasonings," explained Councillor Shelly Veroba, "is because the credit card limit is actually amongst about six different cards. So what was happening is say a piece of machinery was needed to be ordered, what would happen was we'd have to take it from one limit to another in order to make a large purchase of equipment or supplies."

"In order to limit the amount of times they had to renegotiate which limits were on each card, the increase made it easier for that. Times are changing, there's a lot more things that we order that have to use a credit card in order to get it so that was one of the driving forces behind that."

Also on the agenda was the first reading of the utility rate change which has been increased five dollars a month or ten dollars per billing cycle.

"Unfortunately, there have been people in the past that were under the old system and so if the work was done in front of your house, basically you were accountable for that fee. Moving forward, there is a fund that we're going to create and those projects will come out of that fund and then the homeowner will not be the person who's having to come up with that kind of money at once."

The pest control bylaw was passed.

"That was because the conservation officer gave us notice that they will not be coming into the city to deal with anything smaller than a deer. Now our Parks Manager, Rod March will be the one who goes out and deals with coyotes and smaller pests."