City council agreed Monday night to conduct another review of the Sault's much-loved, much-hated snow removal system.
"I think that public works has done a phenomenal job this year, with the amount of snow we have received," said Ward 3 Coun. Angela Caputo, who introduced a resolution calling on city staff to report back to council on current snow removal service delivery models.
"That was not the catalyst to bringing this motion forward. Part of why I wanted to bring this forward is because myself, like probably everyone around the shoehorn here [an apparent reference to council's horseshoe-shaped seating arrangement] has been sent the video with the windrow clearing or the [plow] guard.
"It's one thing for answers to come from us as council, but I thought it was time for public works to be able to report for themselves to residents on whether or not these are things that really could work in our municipality, and perhaps they can.
"We're also one of the only municipalities not to be tracking snow removal, so that's something that I think could be helpful.
"I just think that having a report on ways that we can improve this already-great service, will appease some of the residents who have asked for such things," Caputo added.
Her motion was seconded by Ward 1 Coun. Sonny Spina.
"I know that all of us at city council, including staff here, have talked at length about snow removal and in our community, how great the team is doing," Spina said.
"We are continually asking the team at public works to do more and more and more, yet we are not making strategic investments in public works to allow them to do those. We're not giving them the tools they need to do the jobs that we desire, at the level that we desire.
"It's incumbent upon us to provide them the tools that they need to do their job properly, not just for today, but strategically into the future, so that we're not looking back in 10 years and having to make massive investments at one lump sum point in time."
Councillors voted to have staff prepare a report including "possible improvements to service and equipment, communication with council and residents, costs of upgrading service and equipment."