Pontiac council report – Mayor vetoes water tax

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Mo Laidlaw

MUNICIPALITY OF PONTIAC –  A special council meeting was held May 16 at the Luskville community centre, replacing the regular meeting that was postponed because of the flooding emergency. About 16 members of the public attended.
Public input

Mo Laidlaw

MUNICIPALITY OF PONTIAC –  A special council meeting was held May 16 at the Luskville community centre, replacing the regular meeting that was postponed because of the flooding emergency. About 16 members of the public attended.
Public input
William Kovacs said he and an elderly neighbour were overlooked for help during the flood; Line Martineau asked for additional investment in the Luskville Recreation Park; Jeff Campbell asked if Kilroy Road could be sold to the neighbouring farmer since there are no houses along the road and it is not a
priority to maintain.
Meeting dates
The August 8 meeting will be held in Luskville, not Quyon and because of the municipal elections, there will be no October meeting. The November meeting will be held November 21.
Drinking water deficit
Council passed an amended motion to replenish the deficit of the drinking water department by charging a special tax to users (those with main water
supply in Quyon), rather than taking the funds from the non-appropriated
surplus. This resolution was later vetoed by Mayor Roger Larose, so it will be on
the agenda at the next council meeting.
Flood recovery
The Director General was authorized to find an external contractor to coordinate flood recovery measures for a maximum of six months and $25,000. The major part of this salary will be funded by the Ministry of Public Safety’s recovery program. This will allow the administration to continue to provide the same level of service to all residents.
Given the extra work because of the flooding, to maintain infrastructure, one or more contracts for help with technical work will be awarded, for a maximum of $25,000, for road and drainage work and building rehabilitation. This was passed by 3:2 votes.
Rental of heavy equipment
Four companies made acceptable proposals for renting various equipment, with or without an operator. The resulting information table will be used to retain the most appropriate services as required. The companies are Équipements Saint-Germain Inc, Robert Erwin Transport Inc, Nugent Construction Inc and Raymond Bélisle.
Terry-Fox Road is the boundary between Pontiac and the City of Gatineau. Council authorized the Director General and Infrastructure Director to sign a memorandum of understanding proposed by Gatineau.
The roof repairs at the Luskville library cost $5,643, much less than the expected $20,000, so the balance will be returned to the non-appropriated surplus.
Expenses
The following expenses were approved: $15,000 was transferred to the reserved fund from the non-appropriated surplus for asphalt repairs for 2016 and $15,000 for $2017; $10,000 to proceed with the rehabilitation of Luskville Recreation Park; $7,457 plus tax to Quadrivium who supervised phase 1 of the Mountain Road
reconstruction; $2,150 in bad debts were written off; $1,000 to the Luskville Golden Age Club; and $600 to the Luskville Golden Age Club and volunteers
led by Patricia Lusk to organize a traditional dance evening in September to underline International Seniors Day and the 150th anniversary of Canadian confederation.