After it was found that equipment previously authorized for purchase would not meet the needs of the county, County of Stettler council has decided to go with another option.
The decision was made during the May 11 meeting.
During the March meeting, council authorized the purchase of a 2016 Deere 744KII wheel-loader for the use of public works staff.
At the time, council opted to go with the Deere despite the higher cost as it is similar to another owned by the county which would make for easier transition between the two pieces of equipment for staff.
Unfortunately, the selected machine did not pass mechanical inspection by mechanical staff.
Administration returned to council letting them know the results of the inspection and the recommendation to purchase a 2018 Case 1021 G loader equipped with a Loadrite Digital Weighing System for$243,000.
Public works director of operation Rick Green stated that the recommended loader had also been inspected by staff and passed inspection.
Coun. Ernie Gendre rescinded the initial motion, while Coun. Justin Stevens motioned to purchase the Case, noting that it was “my preference from the get-go.”
Warden Road
According to Coun. James Nibourg he has received a number of dust-related concerns from residents along Warden Road.
Being a haul road, Warden Road has seen an uptick in traffic of late thanks to upgrades done by an oil producer in the area.
Funding for dust control is done through ratepayer cost share and through cap-levy on heavy truck operators.
Nibourg motioned to put dust control in front of the five residences on Warden Road at public works earliest convenience.
According to Green, a full load of material would be required to do the dust abatement in front of the five homes on the stretch of road, which would cost around $10,000.
Nibourg’s motion was carried.
Seniors Week
County of Stettler council has agreed to proclaim Seniors Week again in 2022.
A routine event, Seniors Week takes place at the beginning of June every year and is something the county participates in every year.
“I’m happy to make this motion,” said Stevens.
“In a lot of ways seniors don’t get enough credit. They organize our senior’s centres and community organizations. These are valuable members to our community.”
Stevens’ motion included wording that the county is to participate in senior’s week in collaboration with the Town of Stettler, if at all possible.
The motion was carried.
Council remuneration and benefits
Council has made an adjustment in wording for the reviewing of their fee sheets.
Instead of fee sheets being submitted for approval by chief administrative officer (CAO) Yvette Cassidy, the fee sheets will now be reviewed by Cassidy for completeness before being added to the agenda for approval by council.
Another change regarding council is one of benefits.
Due to changes to the county’s insurance policy that allow twice the life insurance to be paid out than the current administrative policy allows, changes to the administrative policy need to be made to bring the two documents in line with each other.
Since the changes have already been made to the life insurance policy, there is no extra cost associated with the change.