A municipal officials decision to help Squamish's seniors housing complexes reduce a $48,000 utility bill may aid other charities down the road.
Water and sewer fees make up 10 per cent of the annual budget for the 70 housing units at the Squamish Manor and Cedars, said Laura Modray, the Squamish Senior Citizens Home Society's administrator. Add to that this year's 15 per cent utility-rate increase and the facility simply couldn't afford the costs without raising rent, she said.
Even if we wanted to raise rent, we couldn't keep up with the [municipal tax increase], Modray said.
Part of the problem is the apartments' classification. The units' fees are assessed at the same rate as a single-family dwellings. That makes little sense, Modray said, noting the senior residents live in 327-square-foot apartments and have shared laundry facilities.
District of Squamish council agreed. When the seniors' society requested a $20,000 community enhancement grant to offset utility bills at a March Committee of the Whole meeting, officials dug down to the root of the issue.
Coun. Doug Race questioned whether a new classification could be drawn up. On Tuesday (April 2), council passed a motion to amend the water and sewer rates bylaw to include a category that addresses a reduced rate for not-for-profit seniors housing projects, such as the Squamish Senior Citizens Home Society.
While the society's community grant request didn't fly, Coun. Ron Sander suggested the district give the complexes up to $10,000 to install water meters. That idea was also approved on Tuesday.
It is expected that the bylaw changes will be processes within the next four to six weeks, after which the society will be invoiced for its 2013 water and sewer rates, Joanne Greenlees, the district's chief financial officer, wrote in an email to The Chief.
This is all good news, Modray said.
I think this is great, she said. We've been lobbying for five years.
