DIDSBURY – Council is considering a change to the town’s utility charges bylaw that would see fixed charges assessed on meter size in a building instead of the current practice of having the charges based on whether the customer is residential, commercial/industrial or institutional.
Council gave first reading of proposed amendments to Bylaw 2022-19 Utility Charges at a recent regularly scheduled meeting, held in person and on YouTube.
“Fixed charges will now (if the change is approved) be assessed based on meter size in a building, as administration has collected the required information for the users of the system,” said Ethan Gorner, the Town of Didsbury's chief administrative officer.
“Upon approval of the bylaw, fixed charges will no longer be assessed based on types of customer (residential, commercial/industrial or institutional).”
Under the proposed change, the fee for connections with meters measuring one inch or less would be set at $16.86 per month, with connections from one and a quarter to two inches set at $67.45, and connections with meters three to four inches at $151.75.
Another proposed amendment that's being considered involves the mailing out of monthly bills, with the proposal to start charging a fee of $2 per month.
“Currently, the cost of printing and postage is being split across all users, whether they have their bill printed and mailed to them or emailed to them,” he said. “Administration feels that $2 is an appropriate charge which will not be a burden to those who still want a paper bill, while covering postage and printing costs.”
The change would also potentially incentivize users to go digital.
“It may also convince others who don’t have a preference to switch to emailed bills. As well, the cost of printing and mailing bills would then be charged only to those using that service,” he said.
The current service charge of $35 is proposed to remain unchanged.
Earlier in 2022, council passed a motion to, throughout the summer months, reduce to $15 the service charge associated with adding a green bin to accommodate customers seeking compost solutions.
“There were 21 customers that were charged the lower rate of $15,” he said. “During this period, a rebate was also provided for customers purchasing a compost bin from a local retailer. Three customers took advantage of this $50 rebate.”
After giving first reading to the bylaw, council instructed it to be referred to the strategic planning committee for review and recommendation.
During the recent meeting, council also gave second reading to proposed changes to Bylaw 2022-18 corporate services rates and fees.
Those changes would see a new 1.5 per cent surcharge on credit card payments and the removal of a 2.75 per cent administration fee on payments of taxes made by credit card.
The proposed amendments have also been forwarded to the strategic planning committee for consideration.
