South Frontenac Council
Worries Over Fire Trucks
Council approved a staff request to spend $100,000 for a new engine to be installed in a 2009 used Spartan pumper that was purchased from the Town of Cobourg in January, 2025, for $105,000.
Deputy Mayor Steve Pegrum asked about the wisdom of sending $100,000 to extend the life of a 17-year - old piece of equipment.
Chief Administrative Officer Louise Fragnito said that the expectation of the public works department is that this will extend the life of the truck for 5-7 years, and with the price of a new fire truck being $800,000 it is reasonable expenditure.
Councilor Scott Trueman asked where the township is in terms of buying new fire trucks
Director of Public Services Kyle Bolton said that the old assumption that the township is still operating under, is that fire trucks have a 25-30 year life cycle.
Bolton said that when the township looks at its fire fleet and asset management plan in the coming months, that will have to change to 20 years.
Fire Del Blakney said that at the time the 2009 Spartan was purchased the township was down about 4 fire trucks and needed something they could get on the road immediately.
“Even with this repair, at a purchase price of $100,000, this truck is a good deal for the township at this time,” he said.
“As Director Bolton said, our previous asset plan was for trucks to remain in service for 25 years and these trucks are not going to make. They are just, I hate to say it, but they are not as good quality. 25 years is not reasonable. I’ve been working with the CAO to bring us down to 20 on the larger vehicles and 10 on the smaller ones, the pickup trucks, etc”.
Blakney added that in terms of the fleet, the department is in a precarious position, and he can’t guarantee he won’t be coming back with another issue with a fire truck. He added that the department is now pursuing a more aggressive maintenance preventative maintenance program to get ahead of some of the major repair issues.
Mayor Ron Vandewal said he is a bit concerned about all the costs that have escalated in the fire department, and he knows that when the report on fire fleet strategic plan comes in, the costs that will be added to the budget will be significant.
“I know fire has had a lot of challenges, but we’ve also had a lot of big-ticket items that have failed. Somewhere in the process that has to stop. We know we can’t keep deferring replacement of fire trucks, because that is going to lead to a big cost … hopefully the aggressive program maintenance program will make difference, because I don’t think this is sustainable for taxation.”
South Frontenac Council spent most of its hour-long meeting on March 3rd considering a number of specific zoning and planning matters, and hearing a report from Heather Roberts from Utilities Kingston about the annual water summary report for the Sydenham water system.
Utilities Kingston operates the Sydenham water plant for the township. Roberts noted that the report showed how the plant and its operation are in compliance with Ontario water regulations.
Mayor Vandewal asked Roberts if Utilities Kingston is responsible if there is a water main break or other failure within the system. She said it is, and then outlined the steps that would be taken in the event of a water main break. She said that thanks to the monitoring system that is in place, a technician would be on site organizing repairs within an hour of a break being detected by the system operator.
Township staff would be notified, and public works as well if a road closure would be necessary to facilitate traffic redirection measures while making repairs,
Council Remuneration
The council remuneration report came in for 2025. The councilors each received an honorarium of $19,200, including a $1,200 equipment allowance. They also received varying amounts in conference per diems, and mileage payments. Randy Ruttan, who served as Deputy Mayor in 2025, received a $26,5000, including his equipment allowance, and Mayor Vandewal $39,400 .
Mayor Vandewal and Councilor Ray Leonard also received payment from Frontenac County for their work as members of that council, but those amounts are not listed in this township report.
The total cost to South Frontenac ratepayers for councilor honoraria, mileage, per diem’s and equipment, was $230,000 for the year.
