City spends big on new road equipment
Prince Albert will soon have new road equipment, but more than one councillor objected to the over half-million dollars approved for procurement at the regular council meeting, Monday.
Purchases include a new sanitation truck for over $350,000 plus taxes, a wheel loader for roughly $186,000 plus taxes, and a used compact grader for just over $63,000 purchased with money from the 2015 budget surplus.
Used for gravel road maintenance and snow removal in back lanes, a second-hand compact grader was the only item not in the current budget. This made the purchase a bone of contention for councillors at the meeting.
Coun. Lee Atkinson said it was “remarkable” that funds left over from 2015 seemed to be sitting around in various city departments for use.