By Mark Squibb
Bay Bulls council was unable to ratify an e-mail vote regarding snow clearing at its last meeting due to a loss of quorum.
The change order was for a minimal value addition to the lump sum snow clearing contract to include the use of the contractor’s loader to push back the snow at both the Bay Bulls Regional Lifestyle Centre and Town Hall if needed.
Town staff usually maintain and plow those two spots throughout the winter, but their largest piece of snow clearing equipment is a 5500 Dodge Ram that is not capable of large pushback operations.
Due to a family connection, Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien declared a conflict of interest, and as Mayor Keith O’Driscoll and councillor Ethan Williams were absent, only councillors Jason Sullivan and Corey Ronayne were left to vote on the matter, and so council lost quorum and the motion was moved to April’s meeting.
Bay Bulls is somewhat unusual in that while most town councils around the province boast a compliment of seven members, it only has five. For most of its history since incorporation, the town had no trouble filling a slot of seven and saw many competitive elections. However, after the last council had trouble filling openings during a spate of by-election calls in 2020, the Town received permission from Municipal Affairs to conduct business permanently with a complement of five. With a compliment of five members, three members constitute quorum.
