DIDSBURY - Didsbury council has given first reading to the proposed utility charges bylaw for 2025, which calls for increases to fees for solid waste, blue and bin, and water and wastewater services.
The move came by way of motion at the Nov. 12 regularly scheduled council meeting.
In alignment with the budget process, administration recommends an update on the utility charges bylaw every year.
“The utility departments are self-supported; therefore, an increase or decrease in departmental budgetary costs will impact and require an increase or decrease utility charges,” the town's chief administrative officer Ethan Gorner said in a briefing note to council.
“Each of the rates is calculated using the budgeted expenditures, number of customers and/or expected consumption. Overall, water, wastewater and solid waste departments will see an increase to their operating expenditures (in 2025).)”
The proposed bylaw includes a solid waste fee of $20.85 per month (up from $19.75), black bin fee of $7.30 per month (up from $7), blue bin fee of $4.85 (up from $4.65), and replacement bin cost of $120 (up from $100).
On the water services side, it proposes a infrastructure fee for connection with meters one inch or less of $22.75 per month (up from $18.15), connections with meters from one and quarter to two inches of $91 per month (up from $72.50), and connections with meters three to four inches of $204.75 (up from $163.15).
He outlined a number of significant changes to the utility budget in 2025, including that additional debt will be taken on to pay for the east reservoir project; it is expected that debt will be drawn in 2025, with the impact of approximately $100,000.
The bylaw also contains updated wording, including that, “Where service to a customer is to be disconnected, a final billing shall be calculated on a pro-rated basis for the number of days the property was owned by the customer for all fixed charges, and based on the consumption determined by the final meter read for all variable charges.
“Charges will be added to the utility account for the purposes of administering the printing and mailing of each utility bill sent to each customer or approved recipient.”
Council approved first reading of the bylaw and sent it to the financial planning committee for review and recommendation.
Coun. Ethan Williams did not attend the Nov. 12 council meeting.
