The Bashaw Fire Department’s requested wildland fire truck was back before council during its meeting on March 6.
Previously, council had received a request for the purchase of a one-ton pickup which could have a water tank and pump mounted to it and which could get into areas not as easily accessed by the larger fire apparatus.
One of the concerns before council surrounding the possibility of acquiring the new truck was where to store it, as the fire hall is currently at capacity.
The question of storage, however, seems to be resolved with the update that Town of Bashaw Public Works foreman Patrick Taylor brought to council.
According to Taylor, efforts have been made to clean up and reorganize the town shop and yard. In the yard is a small outbuilding which is now being used to house the town’s Bobcats, a space which would be suitable to house the new truck.
Since the space is not heated, the vehicle would need to be winterized every fall. This would include draining the tank, winterizing the fire pump, and removing all freezable items. As this truck would be primarily used during the wildfire season, it was not seen as a large concern.
Of larger concern for council was where funding would come from to purchase the unit.
Chief administrative officer Theresa Fuller noted that the Town of Bashaw currently has just over $50,000 available in Motor Vehicle Billing Funds held in escrow by Camrose County, and another nearly $20,000 in the fire department operating reserve to fund the project.
“It’s a pretty generic motion in terms of purchasing the truck,” said Coun. Kyl McIntosh, noting he was more concerned about costs “over and above” the costs of the vehicle.
Mayor Rob McDonald agreed with his colleague.
“I’d rather the fire department bring a proposal, pricing everything out,” said McDonald.
“No hidden costs.”
Additional costs mentioned during the meeting over and above the truck purchase and tank include fire department badging, lighting, and the addition of any other required equipment.
Coun. McIntosh moved to direct the fire department to fully price out and provide a proposal for a new fully costed out wildland fire truck to a subsequent council meeting.
Additionally, council also directed CAO Fuller to write a letter to Camrose County of the town’s intention to use the funds held in escrow.
Sewer rates
In the days of ever-increasing costs, Bashaw residents will be noticing an increase in their sewer charges on their town bills.
The changes stem from a long-standing error dating back to at least 2016 or 2017 which was recently caught and corrected.
“The annual audit discovered that sewer charges were not billing out properly,” said Fuller.
Under the current town water and wastewater bylaw, residents are charged $20 or one-half of water billing up to a maximum of $110, whichever is higher.
Due to the miscalculation, residents have been under-charged for several years, according to Fuller.
While there is no intention of going back and retroactively billing for the erroneous years, the intention is to use the correct billing format going forward.
For household users who keep their water consumption to around 11 cubic meters of water per month, the cost will remain around the base rate of $20.
An average family of four, meanwhile, using around 16 cubic metres per month will see an addition of around $8-10 per month on their town bills.
Deputy Mayor Cindy Oram, who had the item added to the agenda as she has been approached on the issue by several town residents, noted during the meeting that the increase had “nothing to do” with the town’s recent water leak and was “not an attempt to recoup costs.”
During the discussion on the rates, McIntosh noted that the increase would be “jarring” for some residents.
Fuller agreed and noted she would meet with the rest of administration to evaluate the water thresholds for a potential increase, which would result in the $20 base rate remaining in place until a higher amount of water use is reached.