City utility rates set to spikeAlan Campbell, Richmond News
Published: Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Richmond taxpayers could be facing a utility rate hike of more than 10 per cent next year.
The city's finance department has put forward three options for rate increases for utility services, which provide residents with water, sewers and solid waste and recycling.
The options, due to be presented to city council's general purposes committee yesterday (Tuesday), ranged from 8.8 per cent to 10.28 for a single-family dwelling.
Proposed increases for townhouses that are on the city's garbage service differed slightly, ranging from 8.98 per cent to 10.46.
City staff is recommending the highest of the three rate increase options, as it factors in more contributions to the city's long-term infrastructure replacement program.
The staff report points out, however, that 67 per cent of the proposed 2009 rate increases is attributed to regional price spikes for water ($2.45 million) and sewers ($2 million), which are out of the city's control.
Coun. Derek Dang, recently re-elected to council, insisted the city is not making money out of the proposed hike.
"We're not trying to pad anything out here as the city is well aware of the current financial situation people are facing," he said.
"This is not a cash grab by any measure, there's no money going into the city's coffers.
"As well as the regional costs for water, there's things like union rate increases in labour costs, so there's a lot out of the city's control."
Asked if he thought the recommended 10.28 per cent spike was fair, Dang replied: "I'd like to see it at two per cent but that's not the reality.
"But if you look at what other cities are doing you can see that is simply the cost of providing the service. We can't not provide it."
Dang added that going with the higher of the three rate increases would be much better for the long term sustainability of the utility infrastructure.
For single-family dwellings the recommended rate for 2009 utilities is $1,119.29, an increase of $104.42. Townhouse owners (who receive garbage services) are facing an annual rate of $959.13, up $90.90.
People living in apartments are looking at an even bigger increase of 11.55 per cent, up $66.15 to $638.42 for next year.
The staff report stated that long-term planning to replace ageing or deteriorating municipal infrastructure impacts budgets and thus rate increases.
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家下個市議會全部都係舊人
舊思維。
睇怕明年又要交貴水費 |
發表於 2008-12-4 17:13
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and somehow .. 水費 in Calgary is already double .. compare to Van .. ) 
