Bowden town council passed the governance and administration requisitions passed onto it by the South Red Deer Regional Wastewater Commission at its regular meeting last week.
The requisition to the town was $6,005 for 2012.
Since the town won’t be using the wastewater line for several more years, council also passed a motion recognizing it won’t be requisitioned for the operation and maintenance of the line until it actually begins pumping sewage through the line.
“The way the negotiations worked out, you didn’t start paying until you actually were contributing (sewage) to it. So right now, Innisfail and Penhold are running sewer already in the system. But Olds has paid some of the administration because they’ve been planning the line,” said Robb Stuart, mayor of Bowden.
Stuart said while the project isn’t costing the town much now, once it begins pumping sewage through the system — as Innisfail and Penhold already are — it will be a bigger hit to taxpayers.
Residents will see about a $0.70 increase per cubic metre to $1.70 once the town begins pumping sewage into the line.
“It will be a pretty huge utility increase, but we’re trying to build reserves to lessen the impact when it does come on-line,” he said.
