Water fees no ripoff

Kate Bouey - Castanet Nov 5, 2015 / 1:43 pm
Vernon councillor Bob Spiers has taken issue with a proposed Greater Vernon water rate structure he said would mean higher bills for people who use less water. He also said a meter system replacement program would add to customers' bills. Staff at the North Okanagan Regional District have agreed to review the rate plan. They have proposed an overall two per cent increase in the 2016 fee. “We've got our numbers wrong,” Spiers told staff at a meeting of the Greater Vernon advisory council Thursday. According to Spiers, the structure is set up so a person using 10 cubic meters of water would pay $12.90 per quarter, a 12 per cent increase, while someone using double that amount would see a 10 per cent hike in their bill. He said that amount dropped as more water was used so in the end, someone using 80 cubic meters per quarter would see only a $2.40 increase in the quarterly price, a 1.1 per cent increase. The proposed base fees for 2016 domestic consumption are as follows:

Tier 1: 0 to 40 cubic meters $0.78
Tier 2: Over 40 to 80 cubic meters $1.56
Tier 3: Over 80 cubic meters $2.18
“I'm not happy with the rates in the zero to 20 category,” Spiers said later. “They're paying more than the people in the 80 category. That doesn't make any sense to me.” “I think staff are really willing to look at that,” said GVAC chair Juliette Cunningham. “We don't want the lower users to be paying more per portion than the higher users, so that makes sense.” But Spiers' complaints didn't end there. “I still have trouble with the residential water rates being more than the commercial water rates,” Spiers added. “A gallon of water is worth the same to everyone and that's how our rates should be structured.” As well, NORD has begun a multi-year program to install or replace domestic, industrial and commercial water metering systems. Staff previously said there would be no cost to consumers but conceded Thursday there would be a charge. “Everyone that has a water meter will, at the minimum, pay eight dollars per quarter, that's $32 per year,” said Spiers. “It makes sense there be a meter charge in some manner, shape or form but I question (why) the base fees from before haven't covered that.” Chief Administrator David Sewell cautioned representatives at the table over comments “that suggest this is a ripoff.” “Staff are not putting money in our jeans,” Sewell said. “We don't want to overcharge but don't want to leave degraded assets,” Sewell added, pointing to Quebec where bridges and other infrastructure have fallen into disrepair. Cunningham agreed. “We have to be careful about the rhetoric around 'we're trying to ripoff the public.'” “I mean, we're all residents within this Greater Vernon water utility. We're just trying to be responsible about this, but we do have to look at the potential for replacing our infrastructure.” Cunningham also praised staff for coming up with a less complicated tier system. Charges for domestic and agricultural water consumption are based on tiered fees that climb in price the more water is used. Electoral area B director Bob Fleming showed some support for the proposal. “I'll be supporting this, provided we ensure one rate user is not being overburdened.”
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Don quixote Note:  A calculator for residential clients which includes the water meter replacement minimum charge of $8 per quarter and the base rate change from 101.80 to $104 per quarter as well as the new consumption rate levels and charges  can be found at  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Pr6mQbkFiySvj8rXw8XoewZ6dQ-wt9-1_YRrgFFH_G4/edit#gid=0

Plug your quarterly consumption in the yellow section of the calculator and let the calculator show you your increase (Or decrease) if these proposed rates are accepted.