Region water, wastewater rates on the rise
Costs expected to increase by 5.15 per cent
The cost of water is on the way up.
Regional councillors went with the staff recommended to bolster the water and wastewater system in Niagara.
The result is an increase of 5.15 per cent in the operating budget, which is made up of a 2.77 per cent for water and a 6.55 per cent increase for wastewater.
The staff report said the 5.5 percent increase will help the Region address the ongoing issue of wastewater costs as a result of weather events and an increase in funds for infrastructure to help “mitigating the risk of asset failure” for aging parts of the Regional system.
The report also said the increase will help the works staff manage the legislative requirements of the providing water for Niagara’s residents and the accounting department maintain adequate operating reserves for the system.
Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop voted against the water, wastewater budget.
At the budget committee of the whole meeting back on Jan. 24, he said that Fort Erie loses 25 per cent of the water and wastewater
‘‘ Maybe I am in denial. I don’t know, but I am certainly not thinking these are the only solutions.” WAYNE REDEKOP Fort Erie mayor
it pays for in leaks in the system or groundwater infiltrating the wastewater system.
“Spending $4-million on combined sewer overflows, I think that’s excellent,” he said of the budget.
“I think we should be putting more money there. That should be a focus that feeds right into the asset management program. If we are all in, we should be all in there.
“But I have a great deal of difficulty accepting the proposition that we should be getting into this kind of rate increase. Maybe I am in denial. I don’t know, but I am certainly not thinking these are the only solutions.”
Other two-tiered regions are also grappling with proposed increase to their water budgets, the report from staff noted.
They include York at the high end with a proposed nine per cent
increase and Durham at the low end with a proposed 1.8 per cent increase.
In between are regions such as Halton with a 3.7 per cent increase and Peel with a 6.5 per cent increase.
The staff report noted that the risks of going forward with the two per cent budget guidance — that council rejected — included problems dealing with extreme weather, equipment failure due to delaying capital investment, unanticipated changes to provincial standards could create operational pressures and limited capital financial flexibility to address the issues.
The water requisitions across Niagara vary according to municipalities. Thorold is at the high end with a 6.55 per cent increase in 2018. Grimsby is at the low end with a -4.7 per cent increase.
In terms of wastewater, Niagara-on-the-Lake increased its usage by 12.2 per cent last year. Port Colborne had the lowest percentage increase with 4.26 per cent.
With council’s approval, the budget rate and requisitions are now set and staff can inform the local municipalities of the rates to include in their budgets, the report said.