When Turner Valley property owners open their next garbage, recycling and sewer bills, they will notice an increase for the first time in years.
During its April 20 meeting, Turner Valley Town council amended its rate and fee schedule for waste, garbage and recycling to bring the rates in line with other municipalities and to no longer supplement utility costs through property taxes.
“We were overdue,” said Barry Williamson, Turner Valley’s chief administrative officer, of the increase. “None of them have changed in years.”
Home and business owners will experience an increase in their garbage fees from $18 to $21 every two months. The rate for special four-unit residential buildings will increase from $73 to $75. The recycling fee increases one dollar, which means the rates will now be $12 for homes, $16 for businesses and schools, $45 for four-unit buildings, $16 for motels and $133 for 12-unit apartments.
Williamson said the increase was necessary due to increased costs as a result of inflation. He said the last increase for garbage and recycling took place in 2011.
Rising costs for the Westend Regional Sewage Commission requisition, which provides sewage services to the community, will also be reflected in the rates.
Home and business owners will experience a flat fee increase of five per cent while the consumption charge will remain the same, said Williamson.
The rates, calculated by percentage of water base rate and consumption charges, will increase from 80 to 85 per cent for residential and 85 to 90 per cent for apartment buildings.
Based on an average consumption of 22 cubic metres of water, the increase would be $9.61 per billing cycle every two months.
Williamson said the Town explored the sewer and water rates within the Calgary Regional Partnership and noted other municipalities like Cochrane and Airdrie were increasing their rates, and that the Town’s decision is within that realm of change. He added the water rates have yet to be reviewed.
“We tried to adjust the base rates accordingly,” he said. “Everyone will pay the flat rate. Not everybody will pay the same total.”
Williamson said increasing costs in Black Diamond’s sewer services were previously absorbed in the property taxes.
“We don’t want to be doing that anymore,” he said. “If we were making the adjustment they should have done that through the actual utility rates.”
Having all utility costs reflected in residents’ and merchants’ utility bills could serve as an incentive for people to be more frugal in their usage, Williamson said.
“Rather than put it on the burden of the property tax it should go to the utility rate itself,” he said. “That way the end user can manage it. The very conservative (users) should get the benefit of that. Because a lot of people get their gas and electricity bills on their own they will see what goes up and down and try to manage that accordingly.”
Mayor Kelly Tuck said it’s been four or five years since the water rates increased and with upgrades on the horizon the Town needs to ensure it has adequate funds for those expenses.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” she said, adding the Town is applying for grant funding where possible.
“I’m not sure how this is going to unfold. Hopefully going forward it’s done in increments. With cost recovery everything goes up.”
