Council expands budget

Councillors argue over but approve project changes that also see streets bumped up on priority list

“Before the next budget I think we all need to sit down and discuss what the heck we’re going to do with this ditch infilling. Because I have no interest in doing this every year.” Summerside Coun. Justin Doiron

After yet another acrimonious argument about ditch infilling, Summerside city council has voted to allow one such project to go over budget by about $80,000.

The work in question includes stormwater-main installation, infilling and driveway repair on three streets: the lower portions of Hallie and Hillside drives in Lefurgey Subdivision and McGee Drive, off South Drive, which also includes some sidewalk work.

A tender issued for the work was returned by Curran and Briggs, which said it would take $629,399 (HST included) to do the work. However, the city’s budget for the project was only $507,223. When there is that much of a discrepancy between actual and expected costs on a budgeted item, council must reapprove the extra expense.

City staff had recommended only doing two of the three streets and using grass seed instead of sod for the other two in order to stay within budget.

Some councillors, most vocally Cory Snow and Barb Ramsay, wanted to follow staff’s recommendation.

“I have zero interest in going over budget to fill more ditches; something that we’ve had many discussions on (already) during the budget process and which has been (a) thorn in everybody’s side one way or another,” said Snow.

Others, most notably Carrie Adams and Bruce MacDougall, argued in favour of finding the money to do all three streets.

“These people pay the same amount of taxes that somebody else who’s getting sidewalks and everything else,” said Adams.

“These people who want these ditches (filled) are not asking for sidewalks, they’re asking for (filled) ditches because there is a serious issue at the bottom of Lefurgey Subdivision.”

Residents in the Lefurgey Subdivision, whom Adams represents, have long complained that water pools at the bottom of Hallie and Hillside Drive and persists for some time even after it stops raining.

Many residents, especially those in the old communities of Wilmot and St. Eleanors, want their ditches filled, but it’s less of a priority in the old Town of Summerside. The issue has become increasingly contentious over the years as the price of ditch infilling/storm water work continues to rise. It’s currently about $1,200 per metre.

In 2015, city staff used criteria like zoning, depth, length and cost to come up with a ditch infilling priority list.

Despite the water pooling issue, the lower ends of Hillside and Hallie drives had been a few years away according to the priority list. However, council decided during its budget deliberations earlier this year to bump them up on the priority list and get the work done this year.

That move prompted Snow to take the highly unusual step of voting against passing the city’s 2019/2020 budget.

Snow said he did so because he didn’t agree with the decision to bump up the streets on the list or how the decision was made to so.

“Whether or not we continue filling ditches, there has to be a system that is fair and you can explain to people, based on whatever (criteria), so they know when their turn is up,” said Snow.

When asked about the decision to move up these streets on the priority list, Mayor Basil Stewart said simply, “Things change.”

He added that, like ditches, the city has a list of street paving priorities looking ahead by a few years, but it regularly changes its priorities based on factors like weather or unexpected wear and tear.

Ditches are no different, he said.

“Because a list was made doesn’t necessarily mean it’s etched in stone.”

McGee Drive is much lower on the 2015 priority list than the other two streets, but it is being done in conjunction with a sidewalk construction project.

Snow eventually moved a motion at the July 29 meeting to follow staff’s recommendation and only complete two of the three streets. Adams moved an amendment to the motion, which called for the city do all three streets but save money by removing 95 and 94 Hillside from the project and using grass seed instead of sod for all. Staff estimated doing both would save about $40,000, leaving about $80,000 the city would have to come up with from another source.

Snow expressed frustration that council was deciding which houses would be cut based mostly on the fact that Adams had never received a complaint about standing water from them.

“I really struggle when we start nit-picking (which ditches get filled) ourselves. It becomes very political,” he said.

The vote on the amendment came down to a tie so Stewart was allowed to cast a vote, which he did in favour.

The subsequent vote on Adams’s amended motion passed.

Coun. Justin Doiron capped off the discussion by urging his fellow councillors to find a longterm solution for the ditch infilling issue and to put an end to the argument once and for all.

“Before the next budget I think we all need to sit down and discuss what the heck we’re going to do with this ditch infilling. Because I have no interest in doing this every year,” said Doiron. “It’s just the same thing over and over and over again. We’ve really got to figure something out.”