COEUR d'ALENE - The Coeur d'Alene City Council held its last meeting of the year on Friday, and used the occasion to tie up a few loose ends.

Ed Wagner, city building official, presented the council with an update on the city's International Building Code, the International Plumbing Code and the State Fire Code.

Wagner said there were some minor changes the city needed to make, but for the most part, he was proposing a "newer version of the existing code."

After a brief discussion, the council voted unanimously to adopt the code.

City Attorney Mike Gridley brought the Old Atlas Mill site back before the council again for annexation, because property owner Washington Trust Bank did not sign the annexation agreement within the required 30-day time frame.

"This is just a housekeeping item," Gridley told the council.

The annexation agreement originally passed the council in November, and it passed again on Friday.

Tim Martin, street supervisor, asked the council for permission to purchase a used loader-mounted snow blower. He said the city has been looking to purchase an affordable one for several years, and now one has come available, but it's not in the budget.

However, Martin told the council that the lack of snow this winter may enable him to save enough snow-plowing money to cover the cost of the machine.

"With Mother Nature's help and this light winter, I hope to purchase this with my budget," Martin said.

A new snow blower would cost approximately $115,000. The used model he found in Massachusetts will cost less than $50,000, he said.

The used snowblower is a 2003 model that has about 165 hours of use. The typical industrial sized snowblower will last at least 6,000 hours.

The city's current snowblower is a 1972 model that spends more time in the shop than out on the roads. Martin said many of the parts for it are no longer available and have to be manufactured locally.

"Tim, if this isn't in the budget, I am not going to support it," Councilman Dan Gookin said, but added that he would be happy to budget for it next year.

Finance Director Troy Tymesen said that if the street department cannot save enough money to pay for it this year, a deal can be structured to purchase the snowblower over the course of a year, which would allow them to budget for it next year.

Councilman Steve Adams was reluctant to support it because it wasn't in the budget, but said he knows the city has nursed the snowblower for the past 20 years.

"I am struggling with it, but from an economic standpoint it might make sense," he said. "You sold me, I will support it."

The motion passed to allow the city to purchase the equipment.

The council also held an executive session to discuss the permanent hiring of the city's human resource director. They decided after the session to hire Melissa Tosi.