BARRHEAD - County of Barrhead councillors approved a policy governing the sale of aggregate from municipally-owned gravel pits.
The policy committee recommended that the council approve a policy around the sale of aggregate during its March 5 meeting.
The committee reviewed the policy, which replaces an older version of the policy, in mid-February and recommended it be sent to council for eventual approval.
Significant changes include requiring all sales to be prepaid, requiring residents to arrange for hauling with a tandem gravel truck or larger, as the municipality no longer provides that service (the exception being for community not-for-profit groups, subject to availability), clarifying eligible purchasers, and placing a maximum on pit runs.
County manager Debbie Oyarzun said they also modernized the language and format of the document to match the same template as the municipality's other bylaws.
Infrastructure director Ken Hove said while aggregate is a relatively scarce material in the county and one the municipality needs for road construction and maintenance, the county will make small quantities available to residents for domestic purposes.
Other pertinent clauses of the policy are that all sales will occur in bulk with a minimum of 10 yards per load required (the only exception is during a road ban when it drops to eight yards per load). Although residents will be responsible for hauling gravel, rates are governed by the Rates and Fees Bylaw, which are presently set at $15.75 per cubic yard for crushed gravel, $6.30 for pit run gravel, and $1.58 for sand.
Gravel sales are open from May to October. Gravel load-out tickets are refundable and valid for the season. The policy also sets annual quantities available per eligible purchaser, 200 and 60 yards for pit run and crushed gravel, while sand is not limited.
Upon availability, sales would be available at the county's gravel operations in Vega, Mooseswallow and Fort Assiniboine, i.e., when pubic works are operating the pit.
Gravel product purchases from the municipality's gravel pits are limited to county ratepayers and not-for-profit groups operating within its jurisdiction.
The municipality may sell aggregate for any other individual, group, business, or other interested parties, but only by council resolution.
Hove also noted that gravel load tickets are non-transferable and are for personal use only.
"It is supposed to be for your residence, but we are not going to travel behind your truck policing it," he said.
Oyarzun agreed, saying if a ratepayer chose to give their gravel-load-out ticket, while the municipality will not be actively policing compliance, it would still count towards the initial ticket purchaser's annual limit.
Hove added that the reason for the changes to the policy was mainly practicalities.
He noted that the county will no longer haul the gravel because of a lack of trucks.
"The number of contract trucks available has decreased for the last few years. Last year, the county only had access to three contract gravel trucks, and we may even have less this year," Hove said, adding that the municipality hired one of its contract haulers for one of its trucks. The decrease in contract trucks means we must spend more time hauling our gravel to maintain county roads."
It is also the same reason he said that the county requires a set size for gravel trucks.
"We don't want to load anything smaller than a tandem gravel truck because our loader has a five-and-a-half yard bucket on it, and anything smaller just spills everywhere," Hove said.
