MOOSE JAW — City hall hopes to buy a grader for $650,000 this year, but that machine will be replacing an older unit and not increasing the current fleet, city administration says.
The municipality plans to spend $3,713,162 through its equipment reserve budget, with $2,801,532 from accumulated depreciation and $911,630 from a control account, according to a document presented during city council’s recent 2025 budget meeting.
The public works and utilities branch plans to purchase $1,703,154 worth of equipment, such as the grader, trucks, a backhoe ($190,800) and video equipment to monitor sewers ($125,000).
When asked about the grader, administration told council that the city has three machines and will retire one unit — it’s only partially functional — after the new vehicle joins the fleet; that older unit will either be sold or traded. Moreover, there is no value in keeping that older grader because it faces significant repairs.
The city had four graders last year, but two had significant maintenance issues, so administration sold one and used that money to purchase the new machine, council learned. Therefore, city hall will operate with three machines.
“What we have now (are) two units that are suitable for road rehabilitation and are the appropriate size for alleys, (lanes and regular road rehabilitation),” said Bevan Harlton, director of operations. Meanwhile, city hall is seeking a “more robust four-wheel drive model” with a bigger blade for heavier road rebuilds.
Decisions like these do affect service levels and lead to higher operating costs since contractors must be used to meet certain timelines, Harlton acknowledged. This means the city must contribute more money toward the equipment reserve because it is renting a machine to perform duties.
The cost to purchase a heavier grader has increased from $400,000 in July 2023 to $650,000 today, but that cost doesn’t include extra features like a front blade or ripper blade, he added. Fortunately, none of these issues affect the snow-clearing policy.
Coun. Chris Warren said he understood that items increased over time, but thought it was still difficult to acquire new machines once they had been lost. He also thought that council should have a conversation when equipment is sold or eliminated and that results in reduced service levels or increased purchase costs.
Transit
The transit department plans to spend over $3 million to buy new buses — two paratransit for $286,000 in total and four regulars for $2.5 million — between 2026 and 2029, Warren noted. With paratransit, he wondered how many trips those buses take, how they compare to industry standards and whether city hall planned to change this service model.
Harlton replied that the department replaced several buses in both fleets in 2023 and 2024, while he had hoped the costs would decline more. The problems are that there is no budget line to pay commissions for repairs, and many major automotive manufacturers no longer build buses; one supplier went bankrupt in 2024, so the department tendered the work.
However, administration is working with the grant writer to possibly acquire alternative fleet vehicles that could be electric or hydrogen, he continued. Furthermore, a new transit master plan in 2026 should provide further guidance about service levels.
Harlton added that the department has had trouble procuring equipment, which is why it has held off with increasing service levels.
Events Centre
The Events Centre plans to buy a boom lift for $135,000, an item that Coun. Jamey Logan questioned the necessity since the venue will have rigging steel in the future.
City manager Maryse Carmichael replied that the machine is still required even with steel rigging because staff use it in the hockey and curling arenas to change lights or hang equipment. Furthermore, the venue rents two boom lifts to support concerts, so an in-house one will reduce that cost.
“This new boom lift is an 80-foot (tall) one, so that will make a difference,” she added. “We also use it on the outside to wash windows … for this building.”
