CORNWALL – A new agreement that replaces the federal gas tax program has also ensured at least five years of consistent federal funding for infrastructure in SDG Counties.
The funding agreement, passed by SDG Counties at their July 15 meeting, replaces the gas tax funding with the new federal Canada Community-Building Fund.
All 443 eligible municipalities in Ontario had to sign the new agreement. Federal gas tax funding has been used by SDG for repairing or replacing bridges and resurfacing roads. The Counties will continue to use the new CCBF funding in the same way.
In 2023, SDG received $2.16 million in gas tax funding for infrastructure. That amount decreased to $2.11 million in 2024 under the CCBF. In 2025 and 2026, the Counties will receive $2.2 million in each year in CCBF, followed by $2.29 million in 2027 and 2028.
The allocations for the CCBF in SDG do not impact the six lower-tier municipalities that make up the counties.
Also at Counties council…
SDG Council passed an amendment to the bylaw that deals with purchasing policy. That amendment deals with the sale of surplus assets.
The change allows lower-tier municipalities the option to buy or bid for surplus items before going to public auction or sale.
If a surplus item is not being used as a trade in on new equipment, then municipalities like South Dundas or North Glengarry have the chance to purchase it. If more than one municipality within SDG wishes to purchase the surplus material or equipment, they submit their best offer. This change comes after interest in purchasing a surplus grader from SDG Counties earlier this year.
Dealing with continued heavy equipment supply chain issues, SDG Counties council awarded the tenders for a new snowplow truck at the July 15 meeting.
The two tenders total $448,266.76 plus tax. Unlike in past years where a completed snowplow truck was purchased from a dealer, SDG opted to buy the chassis and cab separately from the snowplow and spreader equipment.
Like many municipalities, SDG has been forced to order replacement equipment as much as a year in advance to its procurement prior to the pandemic.
Rush Truck Centres of Canada will provide the cab and chassis for $213,446.76 while Gin-Cor Industries will supply the snowplow equipment for $234,820.
The truck purchase is part of a revolving 20-year vehicle management program by the Counties’ transportation department. Its fleet of 20 plows are replaced at a rate of one truck per year.
In a roads and bridges update, work on the Oak Valley Bridge on County Road 5 is on schedule and on budget. The road was closed for the bridge construction project, with detours in place.
Skin patching and microsurfacing contracts on SDG’s roads are completed already with major repaving work planned to restart to complete work by the end of July.
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