Sudbury infrastrucure maintenance backlog balloons to $1.4 B: auditor general
‘If we’re not going to get the money, we have to change the way we're doing operations,’ says Coun. Kirwan
Sudbury faces an infrastructure maintenance backlog that the city's auditor general estimates has ballooned to $1.4 billion.
Upgrades to buildings, maintaining and upgrading the city's fleet of vehicle and other assets form the bulk of that number, said auditor general Ron Foster.
Councillor Lynne Reynolds asked her colleagues to support a request to hold a special meeting about borrowing money to finance some of the city's projects — including infrastructure repairs.
"We will be looking at a motion on debt for development to address that and to look at it and to look at what the benefits are and what the opportunities are," Reynolds said.
But councillor Robert Kirwan said the city should first examine the way it conducts business.
"Some council is going to have to stop and say, 'We have to change something,'" Kirwan said.
"If we're not going to get the money, we have to change the way we're doing operations because we're already — just with roads and water, wastewater — a billion dollars behind."
The backlog is expected to be discussed at Tuesday's audit committee meeting.