Report Tells Council Contracting Out Pothole Repair Just Too Much Of A Budgetary Bump
By Robert Thomas
If you were hoping for private contractors to assist with the multitude of pothole repairs it’s not about to happen.
The reason for not utilizing private contractors to work alongside public crews can be summed up to a few simple words - they’re just too damn expensive.
That’s what Council was told at their regular Monday afternoon meeting.
A SERIES OF POTHOLES PATCHED UP IN A MAJORLY CRACKED AND DETERIORATING ROADWAY - MJ INDEPENDENT FILE PHOTO
“We are very cost-efficient on doing the worker ourselves,” finance director Brian Acker said introducing a report, looking at contracting some of the pothole repair work out to private firms.
The report stated it cost the City $50 a square metre to repair potholes in-house whereas tendering it out to private firms could cost four times that amount.
“That’s significantly more,” Acker said, adding the cost would be “significantly more” if the City were to go ahead with issuing a tender and hiring contractors this late in the season.
Additionally there would be “difficulty in finding a contractor at this time of the year,” he said.
Acker said the report pointed to budget 2024 and getting a second crew active sooner in the early part of the year to take on the pothole problem.
Councillor Heather Eby agreed with the conclusions and context of the report. For Counsellor Eby it was smooth driving to a solution come budget time.
“Hopefully at budget” the City would have the opportunity to extend funding for pothole repairs in the 2024 season, she said.
“It will be an opportunity to do more work with the resources we’ve given them.”
Councillor Luhning - whose motion originally generated the report - took an opposing viewpoint when it came to getting potholes fixed.
“I’m actually kind of really disappointed in this report,” Councillor Luhning said, going onto State that fixing the roads is one of the “basic duties we should be doing as a municipality.”
“I’m disappointing it’s a matter of resources that we can’t get this done sooner,” she said, adding it was a case of not “having enough people to do the work.”
Councillor Luhning felt that Council as a whole needed to discuss funding, road repairs and not other expenditures.
“We can’t be everything to everyone.”
Councillor Luhning said something needed to be done sooner rather than later, when it came to the shape of City streets.
“I guess we should just accept the fact the roads aren’t in great shape and put it off to the fall (budget discussions).”
A pothole patched in a Main Street crosswalk - Mj Independent file photo
Councillor Doug Blanc said he had supported the initial motion to generate the report in order to stimulate discussion on the road condition issue.
“We have to make changes and how we do things,” Councillor Blanc said just after stating he was unsure if private contractors was the way to go.
He went on to state at a recent downtown Street festival many visitors were coming to get him about the condition a Moose Jaw’s roads and it’s something the City needed to be cognizant about.
“They (visitors) see it and it’s something that they reflect upon,” he said.
Councillor Jamey Logan was told the City has two hot mix repair units.
Councillor Logan said Council will have to look at providing “ fiunding to keep the two (hot mix repair) trucks operational” for a longer period of time.
At the present time there is only one crew out repairing potholes as the second crew is still busy on street sweeping duties until mid-July.
When street sweeping is completed, the second crew will convert into a pothole repair crew.
Acker reminded Council that streets such as 13th Avenue Northwest were beyond being repaired by simply fixing potholes. The street would need a full milling and rebuild as it is had deteriorated beyond being repaired by simple patching.
Councillor Luhning has repeatedly stated sections of 13th Avenue Northwest are close to being undrivable due to the state of the roadway.
Acker sad that Council had cut back majorly on road rehabilitation in the 2023 budget.
Council decided in a 6 - 0 vote - with Councillor Crystal Froese locked out from the discussion due to technical issues - to refer the matter to 2024 budget discussions.