City of Powell River Council adopted three bylaws that adjust rates for the city’s sanitary sewer system.
At the October 1 council meeting, councillors approved bylaws that increase rates for a four-year period.
Councillor George Doubt, chair of the city’s finance committee, said it states in the first bylaw that it is to provide for the imposition of a fee for use of the city sanitary sewer system. He said the bylaw sets out what the charges will be over the period of 2021 to 2024.
Doubt said he would give the example of a single-family dwelling being $133 in 2021, $143 in 2022, $150 in 2023 and $158 in 2024.
“This sets the rate for the next four years and gives a predictable rate,” said Doubt. “Going by percentage-wise, a total of this and the following two bylaws is 7.5 per cent in each of the first two years, to provide some funding upfront for reserves, and then that increase reduces to five per cent per year in the last two years.”
Council passed the first bylaw with councillor Cindy Elliott opposed.
Council then considered a bylaw to establish frontage tax rates for repayment of construction costs and operational costs of the city sewage treatment and disposal system. Doubt said this provides for cost and operation, dealing with the day-to-day costs that are expected.
“It sets up a reserve for asset management so if there are any sudden costs that come in, it will provide less of a shock and even out the increases the taxpayers have to pay for these rates over a period of time,” said Doubt. “They should absolve the taxpayers in the future of getting sudden increases for a huge waterline break or huge sewage line break that happens in a particular year. That’s going to happen over a period of time as our infrastructure gets older.
“The annual tax per foot of frontage will be increasing to $2.50 in 2021, $2.69 in 2022, $2.83 in 2023 and $2.97 in 2024. There are some minimums and maximums that are charged for footage.”
The effect of this increase would depend on the size of a lot being taxed, added Doubt.
The motion was carried unanimously.
Council then considered a bylaw to establish a frontage tax and charges for a sewer collector system.
Doubt said this pays for the expected annual cost of creating a reserve for sudden needs or changes to the sewer collector system. He said that this is the series of pipes that connects from the end of residents’ driveways at the street, through town, through the various pumping stations and as far as the sewage treatment plant.
He said the average per tax per foot of frontage in 2021 is $2.15, in 2022 it will be $2.31, in 2023 it will be $2.43 and in 2024 it will be $2.55.
“This sets up the program, not just for 2021, but for the next four years, to give people some idea of what is going to happen to those rates,” said Doubt.
Council carried the motion unanimously.
