City council agreed to dip into the 2011 surplus to help buy a $80,000 snowblower, primarily for the benefit of the downtown.
The city’s surplus for 2011 was actually $338,558, but there were a number of projects that were not completed and have been carried over to 2012.
Among these were greenway trails ($60,000) an energy audit for the municipal building ($25,000), Trees for Tomorrow ($22,000), a storm water management study ($10,000), a traffic study for 30th Street NE/11th Ave. NE ($15,000), drainage bylaw development ($15,000), an environmental study ($9,000) and a council/staff orientation retreat ($3,000).
With the $155,558 remaining, Coun. Marg Kentel asked if $40,000 could be put towards a piece of snow removal equipment, so that it might be ordered and available before next winter.
City financial services director Monica Dalziel warned the city doesn’t want to make it a general practice of using its surplus, but said council could make a motion to use $40,000 from it, in combination with the $40,000 already in reserve, to fund the snowblower.
“I think it will give some comfort to the merchants downtown in particular to know that their shops will be looked after next year in that way, and also other parts of the community too,” said Kentel. “That is a concern for myself and I know some others on council. And it will be ordered and be here in time.”
Coun. Chad Eliason supported the motion, explaining the snowblower would blow snow directly into the back of a truck, so it could be trucked out of downtown.
“It will allow us to more easily and more efficiently remove snow from the streets of Salmon Arm, which I think is a great concern for the downtown businesses and our citizens,” said Eliason.