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INUVIK
The town of Inuvik is seeking a ministerial exemption order so that it can borrow up to $13 million for a new water treatment plant, without voter approval.

A number of building improvements to the town hall and fire hall are slated to begin in the new year. - NNSL file photo

The town plans to argue for an exemption on the grounds that if ratepayers voted down a plebiscite on the issue, it might become a public health and safety concern.

The federal government is expected to introduce new drinking water standards in a few years' time and Inuvik's current water treatment plant won't be able to meet them, according to the town's senior administrative officer Grant Hood.

Also, this July Inuvik was hit with a boil water advisory after sampling indicated high levels of bacteria in the water. During the advisory period it was recommended residents boil any water used for drinking, brushing teeth and washing food.

That said, there is no cause for panic, Hood added.

"There is nothing wrong with the water, but we can make it better," he said. "It comes down to you don't want to rest on the status quo."

If the town decides to borrow the full $13 million, it would still be below its debt limit.

Hood estimates the project will cost about $11 million plus payments to pay off the debenture and the interest expenses incurred from it. The payments would be covered in part by the $2-million-plus grant received under the Building Canada Fund and the $1.4 million the town saved in anticipation of the project.

The town has already hired an engineering firm to draw up designs for the new plant. Preliminary plans suggest it would be possible as well as economically feasible to draw water from a single source. Currently Inuvik's system requires the town to switch in the spring and fall between the MacKenzie River and Three Mile Lake/Hidden Lake.

"Operationally it costs a lot to switch back and forth," said Hood.

If Inuvik gets the go-ahead on the project, the new building will be added onto the East Channel water treatment plant and the other water treatment plant would be used as a backup.

Not the only capital project

Although the water treatment plant is the biggest capital project slated for the new year it isn't the only one.

The interim operating budget and capital budget, which was passed by council Dec. 12, includes a number of other projects.

The town has allocated $325,000 to road improvements. According to Hood, part of the funds will be used to fix the big dip in Navy Road while the other chunk will go toward street maintenance.

Another $350,000 will be used to upgrade Inuit Road. This project was supposed to happen in 2012, but the contractor was unable to come to Inuvik due to a commitment down south. The company has agreed to honour the prices from this year.

According to the budget, there will be some changes to the Midnight Sun Complex as well. The complex is expected to receive new LED lights, which Hood believes will save the town money.

Additionally, the mural in the lobby that was damaged by water is set to be fixed.

Hood said he hopes there will also be room in the next few capital budgets to spruce up the complex a bit so that Inuvik residents can continue to be proud of what they have and visitors will want to come back.

"Word of mouth is one of your best forms of advertising," he said.

Meanwhile, residents whose New Year's resolution is to work out more often will be happy to know the fitness centre is slated to receive $28,000 worth of equipment. Hood said the facility will get a new treadmill, a new elliptical and one other machine, while the leftover funds will be used to fix areas with wear and tear.

"The equipment we buy is expensive because you just can't get by on the stuff that people put in their basement. It would just get destroyed because they're used so much," Hood said.

The fire department will also be getting new equipment in 2013, specifically a new fire truck. The town expects to buy another fire truck in 2015 and one more in 2017.

"There are regulations as to how old your equipment could be and ours are at the end of their certification level, so that's a requirement just to keep up," explained Hood, adding the town wants to make some changes with the new vehicles. "We're going to get a little different type of vehicle than what we've got now. The ones we had really weren't built for the Arctic."

Funds are also budgeted for a weigh scale for the solid waste site, fire department rescue sleds, new windows for town hall and the fire department, piling work at town hall and fire department Christmas lights and garbage bins, among other projects.

Operating budget highlights

The 2013 interim operating budget presented to council and subsequently passed is largely unchanged from last year's budget.

Expenditures are up slightly to $11,962,150 from the $11,528,050 budgeted in 2012. Meanwhile, revenues are expected to decrease to $15,629,150 from the $16,170,700 expected this year.

The increase in expenses can mostly be attributed to salaries going up and higher costs for heating and potentially electricity, according to Hood.

The town has also budgeted to hire five summer students, he added. One of the students will work for the town doing cleaning, filing and general duties. Meanwhile, the other four students will help in public works by doing general cleaning, park maintenance, trail maintenance and other duties.

To make up for the added expenses, the town is proposing a one per cent overall tax increase. This year residents had a detailed assessment done on their properties, so some people will see a significant increase in their assessments.

"But what we would do is adjust the mill rate downwards to net out so that our net increase would be one per cent," Hood said, adding for the average homeowner that would mean an extra expense of $24 a year.

On the other hand, there will be no increase in user fees or reductions in services, Hood continued.

"We just sharpened the pencils," he said. "You have must-haves, nice-to-haves and super-nice-to-haves. Well you just say to the super-nice-to-haves (you're out of here)."

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