OLDS — New rates and fees for municipal services in Olds come into effect Monday.
There are no changes to rates to utilize the Aquatic Centre, Sportsplex, sports fields and ball diamonds. There are no increases listed for business licence fees either.
Rates for water, wastewater, and solid waste are among the hikes.
Effective Jan. 1, residential water consumption rates are going up eight cents per cubic metre for residential and non-residential customers. In both categories, that will boost the rate to $3.18 per cubic metre.
Rates for wastewater consumption are rising by five cents a cubic metre to $4.77 per cubic metre for residential customers and to $5.23 per cubic metre for non-residential customers.
"I do want to highlight we are purely passing on the increases that we are receiving from the commission for both the water and wastewater commission,” corporate services director Sheena Linderman told council when the new rates were passed.
As the Albertan reported earlier, the rate for residential solid waste collection is rising by 70 cents a month.
The bill to replace a solid waste bin or add another one is going up $22 to $92 each.
“This, keep in mind, is what we are actually paying for the bins,” Linderman said.
Also effective Jan. 1, cemetery burial lot sales will now include a one-time perpetual care fee of $400 and $200 per niche for columbarium niche sales.
Grave opening and closing costs for everything from adult and child burial to cremains burial are all rising.
In the planning and development department, as of Jan. 1, the cost to search and print a certificate of title is doubling to $50 from $25.
If someone wants a rushed certificate of compliance (within two business days when opportunity permits) double fees will charged.
The cost to accommodate special requests, such as meeting with the development authority (town council) is also doubling to $500 from $250. The cost to reschedule a public hearing is going up by that same rate.
It will cost $250, up from $100, for approval by a development officer of a proposed variance to a patio on private property. If that proposed variance goes before council for approval, it will cost $500, up from $200.
Fees for sidewalk café and sale permits will now be doubled if they are implemented before the permit is issued.
As of Jan. 1, fire response fees are rising by $50 an hour to $700 an hour in most cases, although the cost for a command/support unit to be sent out will jump to $205 an hour from $190 an hour.
If the fire department is called out to a third and subsequent commercial system false alarm within a year that will now cost $700 per alarm, up from $650 per alarm.
Several fire training facility rates have been increased or added as well.
As of Jan. 1, the cost for RCMP to attend special events will rise by $25 to $150.
Coun. Darren Wilson asked how town officials determine the proposed rates.
Chief administrative officer Brent Williams said they’re set to ensure they’re within the rates charged by similar communities, plus or minus 10 per cent in general.
“That is how we benchmark right now. But if we get into a larger conversation about what should we be charging? That is a different question, I think,” Williams said.
“If council wanted to move to more of a revenue versus asset expense costs, we can do that. It’ll take a little bit of time. But for now, we’re more focused on what other (communities) our size are doing and following that benchmark.”
Coun. James Cummings questioned whether council needs to deal with all these rates via an annual bylaw. He wondered if it might be more efficient to have administrative staff do that.
“This doesn’t seem (like) a really nimble or an agile way for administration to deal with the costs and cost recovery,” Cummings said, borrowing a phrase from Wilson.
He wondered if that could be done in time for next year.
Williams said Cummings’ question is an “excellent” one.
He said specifically in the case of recreation rates, they don’t really need to be set in a bylaw. Other rates for other services likely do.
He said if council wants to create a “more trimmed-down version” of the rates bylaw, administrative staff could bring a proposed version forward.
Coun. Wanda Blatz liked that idea.
Mayor Judy Dahl said she also appreciated the suggestion but pointed out that years ago, the decision to set rates in a bylaw was taken because “it was important that the citizenry were privy to why and how (we) change rates, so I always look at that as well.”
