Written By David Gomez, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
ADELAIDE METCALFE — During its April 22 meeting, council approved three key staff reports, including the purchase of a new loader for the public works department, the allocation of the 2024 year-end surplus, and the 2024 drain maintenance by-law.
The first item concerned the replacement of the township’s 2003 John Deere loader/backhoe. Public Works Manager Coulter Cahill presented the procurement results, explaining that the purchase process was completed through “Canoe”, a cooperative purchasing group, to ensure policy compliance. “Through evaluations with Middlesex County’s procurement services, it was decided that the potential tariff imposition was at a high risk,” Cahill explained. As a result, the township sought a unit that could be delivered quickly and with cost predictability.
The successful bid was submitted by Equipment Sales and Services Limited, offering a 2025 Komatsu WA270-8 loader at a cost of $279,000 before HST. Cahill confirmed the unit would be delivered by May 9. “We are under the $290,000 budget by $11,000 before HST,” he added. Mayor Sue Clarke remarked on the strategic nature of the decision, stating, “We are making decisions due to our instability, and not ours personally, but the economy in the world right now… and that the pricing came in favourably.”
Council approved the purchase, with Councillor Noordhof moving the motion and Councillor Brodie seconding it.
Treasurer Johnny Pereira then presented the 2024 year-end surplus report. “We have landed in a surplus position of $67,736,” Pereira noted, adding that the figure reflects tighter departmental budgeting. “The township has seen a significant decrease in annual operating surpluses over the past number of years, which does highlight benefits of our zero-based budget approach.”
Pereira recommended allocating the surplus to reserve funds: $10,000 to the Community Improvement Plan reserve, $5,000 to the Winter Maintenance reserve, and $52,736 to the Lifecycle Management reserve. Any remaining funds, once the audit is complete, will also be transferred to the Lifecycle Management reserve. The motion was moved by Councillor Kingma and seconded by Councillor MacKinnon.
The final report reviewed was the 2024 Drain Maintenance summary, also presented by Pereira. The report identified a total of $59,652 in completed drainage work under Section 74 of the Drainage Act. “There’s $16,341 of grants to be submitted to the province, with the net amount to be billed of $43,311,” he explained. The township’s share of the cost is $3,026, covering drainage work related to roadways.
Council passed the accompanying by-law unanimously, with the motion moved by Councillor Noordhof and seconded by Councillor Kingma.
