Budget 101 - Public Works (Part 1)

You asked, and we’re ready to answer. Each Thursday, we’ll be looking at some of the themes and specific questions raised in our budget survey, which took place last November.

Today, the Public Works and Engineering department is our focus—and since there were so many great questions and suggestions in this section, we’ve broken this department into two posts. Stay tuned for part 2 next week.

In our budget survey, many commenters agreed with the Public Works and Engineering budget. Three commenters requested improvements to snow removal. Several miscellaneous comments were also made regarding things like electric vehicles and paving. Below, we’ve addressed some of these topics. Please note that questions have been edited for clarity.

Why does building maintenance cost almost a million dollars a year? What exactly does that cover?

The $707,314 allocated to Building Maintenance covers the maintenance of City Hall, Public Works, RCMP, Library, Firehall, George Little House, Kwinitsa, Park House, Visitor Info Centre, Sewage Treatment Plant, and various lift stations and pump houses around the City. This budget also funds the cost of utilities, contracted services (janitorial, snow removal, elevator maintenance, etc.), and equipment requirements to perform these duties.

The estimated cost breakdown based on 2021 actuals is:

• 27% wages (labour)
• 25% utilities
• 19% janitorial Services
• 24% other (materials, contractor wages, etc)
• 5% vehicle costs

There are a number of staff that perform maintenance activities for these buildings. Their labour efforts are tracked and charged to the appropriate building where the work is taking place. Some examples of these labour activities are flooring, painting, office furniture, roofing, heating system repairs, vandalism repairs, siding, energy efficiency improvements, and other proactive and reactive maintenance measures relating to the expertise in carpentry, electrical, and other trades that our crews maintain.

Sidewalks and bike lanes should be plowed faster.

Our Public Works team follows the “Plowing Route Priority” described in the City of Terrace’s “Snow and Ice Control” Policy. The policy states that streets will be plowed according to the following priority: Hills, Hospitals and School Zones, Downtown Core, Arterial Streets, Local Residential Streets, Cul-de-sacs, and Alleys. Sidewalks will be plowed as resources are available.

Roads are still our first priority, but Public Works has recognized the need for increased attention to sidewalks during the winter months. We currently have two sidewalk plows and multiple staff that are scheduled on differing shifts to provide as close to around-the-clock coverage as possible. This sidewalk-specific equipment has some limitations (low operating speeds, limited sanding capacity, inability to break up ice and compact snow during freezing events) that lead to slower response times in comparison to our plows used on the roads, but the level of service to sidewalks has been increased and will continue to be monitored for added efficiencies and opportunities for improved service levels.

Are there any plans to pave my street? My gravel road has heavy travel usage throughout the workweek and has had chronic dust and water pooling for over a decade now.

and

Are there any plans to repave my street?

There are many factors considered while deciding which streets need to be paved and/or rebuilt and added to the five-year plan. These include age and condition of infrastructure (water, sewer, storm, road surface), number of residents impacted, traffic volumes, maintenance costs, budget constraints, and development in the area.

Currently, the City of Terrace does not offer dust control as a service to our residents. We do, however, offer a subsidy for calcium treatment to our gravel roads. The treatment is applied by local contractors with a portion of the costs being billed to the City of Terrace. For more information on this subsidy, please contact the Public Works department.

I'd like to see ongoing and timely electrification of the city fleet of vehicles. Will vehicle purchases listed in the budget be electrical vehicles?

We have recognized the technologies for electric vehicles are advancing, and we are investigating the benefits and disadvantages as they relate to the City’s fleet, climate, and budget. We are seeing some larger municipalities and businesses begin their transition into electrification and are actively monitoring their successes and shortfalls to better understand what a switch to electric vehicles would mean for our fleet. In the short term, we are attending seminars to continue learning about electric vehicle capabilities, power requirements to support an electric fleet, and grant opportunities to explore this transition.

People are very cavalier with water usage in Terrace and district. I think it's time to recover the costs of providing clean water.

The City charges residences and businesses for water usage in accordance with Bylaw #1326-1993 “Terrace Water Distribution & Sale.” Most residences and businesses in Terrace are unmetered, so are charged a minimum monthly rate to recover the costs of this service. The city has explored the option of having water meters at each residence to better track the usage per household and charge accordingly, but due to the prohibitive costs of equipment and labour to have these installed, it was deemed unfeasible.

Rather than water metering, the City is increasing our efforts to educate the public on water conservation techniques. The goal is to lessen the strain on our water distribution system during the summer months and reduce the possibility of water usage restrictions (which restrict lawn sprinkling).

Why is the water in Terrace so hard to the point where you have to descale a kettle at least once a week? Why is Terrace transferring money to a reserve when its water quality could really use improvement?

The City of Terrace’s main water source is an underground aquifer located at the Frank Street Well site. Aquifers rely on the natural filtration of ground water through rock and gravel. This process picks up mineral contents from the rock, resulting in hard water. There are no health issues related to the hardness of the water. The City of Terrace’s water is in line with the drinking water requirements set out by Northern Health.

While the hardness of water can be considered a nuisance to household appliances, aquifers are a very safe and beneficial source of water where the benefits heavily outweigh the negatives (hard water). Aquifers are not susceptible to surface water, do not require significant treatment processes, and are unaffected by spring freshets and high-water events. This results in a consistent, safe stream of water to our community with the rare need to issue boil water advisories.

Money is being transferred to a reserve to fund ongoing replacement of aging water distribution infrastructure. Typically, this infrastructure is replaced when roads are reconstructed.

To learn more about the City of Terrace’s water system please reference the “City of Terrace Annual Water System Report.” This report provides an excellent summary of our water quality, sampling procedures, and compliance levels set out by Northern Health. Check our website for recent reports.

Do you have other questions about this department? Post them below.

Our next installment will be next Thursday, when we’ll look at more Public Works questions. Stay tuned!