It will be a little more expensive to flush your toilet in Harrison Hot Springs this year.
At council Monday (Jan. 21), Harrison Hot Springs council member voted to increase sewage fees by 10 per cent to cover rising costs.
This means residential homeowners will pay an additional $22.50 a year for their sewer service, bringing the total cost up to $247.50 a year from $225 a year. Offices will pay an extra $21, bringing their yearly cost from $210 to $231.
From 2020 to 2023, costs will continue to increase at two per cent each year to keep up with inflation, putting homeowner costs at $267.90 in 2023.
The 2018 fee will be applied for the first billing cycle of 2019, which means payees won’t see a difference in their bills until the next billing cycle begins in April. After that, fees will be paid at the 2019 rate.
According to infrastructure manager Troy Davis, sewage fees haven’t gone up in the village since 2012. In the meantime, aging infrastructure has been increasing expenses. This year, the village is expecting a $104,000 revenue shortfall for sewage-related expenses, which includes maintenance, energy and insurance costs.
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“In the past, to meet revenue shortfalls, it’s been necessary to use funds designated from capital reserves,” Davis explained. “As there is many wastewater capital projects required over the next few years, staff feel it is prudent to ensure the capital reserves are funded as much as possible to meet those demands.”
Some of these capital projects include new pumps for Harrison’s wastewater treatment plant, as the current ones are unable to keep up with the amount of effluent that flows through them during rainy weather. Council voted to approve the replacement on Monday, Jan. 21 at a cost of up to $67,000.
A heftier increase will also be put in place for metered connections — which right now only includes the Harrison Hot Springs Resort pool and the public pool.
These places will see an increase of nearly 50 cents per cubic metre, to cover the costs over treating the wastewater. This would increase the fee from $0.62 per cubic metre to $1.10 per cubic metre. These fees will also go up two per cent each year to keep up with inflation.
This metered fee increase will create about $68,000 in additional revenue in 2019, and reduce this year’s sewage budget deficit from over $100,000 to $36,000. The 10 per cent increase for other fees is expected to cover the remainder.
grace.kennedy@ahobserver.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
