On March 22, council ratified the allocation of $484,000 from the capital budget to acquire a new 2016 hydrovac truck.

The truck is being purchased from Joe Johnson Equipment, which has locations across North America.

The 2015 budget identified the need to replace the municipality’s 1997 machine. A tender package was issued and received three bids.

The bids were each reviewed and administration recommended the purchase of the 2016 Vactor 2100 Plus Fan unit.

Council had previously allotted $450,000 for the acquisition of this unit but administration was aware that both the hydrovac and the new street sweeper would both likely be over budget because both units are manufactured in the United States and have been affected by the declining Canadian dollar.

The existing unit will be disposed of because its positive displacement blower, a significant piece, requires rebuilding and therefore the unit is of no use.

Property Tax Public Auction scheduled

There are 25 properties slated for public auction this year.

On March 22, council set the reserve bids for properties for the 2016 Property Tax Public Auction for Wednesday, September 28 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Municipal Government Act provides for the recovery of taxes relating to land but each municipality must offer the parcels for sale at public auction.

Municipal phone system

On March 22, council accepted a report on the future of the municipal telephone system.

The Nortel Networks Corporation manufactured the municipality’s current telephone system.

Nortel is best remembered for its spectacular implosion during the internet bubble burst of the early 2000s.

According to the Financial Post, at its height, Nortel accounted for more than a third of the total valuation of all the companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and employing 94,500 worldwide, with 25,900 in Canada alone.

But when Nortel's stock price plunged from $124 in September 2000 to $0.47 in August 2002, it took a wide swath of Canadian investors and pension funds with it.

In January 2009, the company declared bankruptcy and ceased operations several years ago.

In a report to council, Kelli Tuttle, director of Finance, said that as a result, the current phone system has no vendor support and the technology is outdated.

She suggests installing a new phone system supplied by Shaw Business Solutions would increase the usefulness of the system and reduce costs.