The District has set the utility rates for the upcoming financial year, with increases happening for some landfill and curbside pickup rates, but no rate increases for water and small totes.
On Dec. 7, council unanimously voted to give three readings to the proposed 2022 utility fees bylaw.
Coun. Jenna Stoner was absent due to her maternity leave, thus did not vote.
“Council has directed the administration to come back with respect to the financial plan, and these are the utility fee bylaws that support said financial plan,” said said District financial planner Rolland Russell.
He said that landfill tipping fees will be increasing by about 5%.
Curbside pickup service fees will also increase, but with an exception for small totes.
Medium curbside totes will cost $365, up from $345.
Large totes will increase to $570, up from $540.
Small totes will not increase, and, as a result, will remain at $200.
Wastewater, or sewage, rates will be seeing an uptick of 3%, which translates to $615, up from $595 for the average residential property.
Water rates will not increase at all.
According to a staff report, the curbside fees reflect cost increases associated with material collection and tipping fees at the organic waste processing facility.
Council previously gave specific instruction to staff to freeze the small tote rates at $200.
Sewage rates are being bumped up in line with historic increases recommended in the Waste Water Master Plan. The staff report says that additional revenues are being sought to maintain reserve balances as a number of capital projects will be accessing reserve funding in the near term.
Water rates aren’t being increased because the current rates, along with community growth increasing the number of payers into the system, provide sufficient revenue, infrastructure maintenance, reserve contributions and debt servicing requirements, the report says.
