SUNDRE – The municipality has initiated a process to review its utilities bylaw in response to concerns raised by a resident who wants the town to further facilitate cash payments.
The decision came by way of motion on May 13 during a regular council meeting following concerns expressed by a Sundre resident who prefers paying with cash.
Nicolas Sauriol Lapalme, who lives in Sundre’s southwest Noblefern neighbourhood, sought an audience with council to contest the application of a late payment penalty on his March 2024 utility bill and request a waiver as he was unable to pay in cash at the town office on the due date as a result of the Easter holiday.
“I’m just here to make cash great again,” Lapalme told council, adding he has on numerous occasions since moving to Sundre about a year ago gone to the municipal office to pay his utility bill in cash but has often been informed there may not be enough in the limited float to provide change resulting in a credit forwarded to the next bill.
“Usually they find the change; sometimes they don’t,” he said.
However, while he’d prefer the municipality revise its policies to allow a larger float at the town office to further facilitate cash transactions, the main reason he felt compelled to address council stemmed from a late payment penalty applied to his March utility bill.
Lapalme expressed the opinion that payment deadlines that fall on weekends and stat holidays should still be payable without penalty if settled on the first business day of the following week.
He also was not fond of the suggestion that he consider paying online when trying to pay on a deadline that falls on a day when the town office is closed.
“I was told that I could have just paid online. That triggered me, and so I figured I got to at least talk to people,” he said.
“I always pay cash in town everywhere. I never use my card except to get money from the ATM.”
Lapalme said he was also told by staff that for safety reasons, the available deposit box is unlabelled so as to not advertise it.
He expressed a reluctance to use the box as without a receipt there would be no proof of his payment.
“Cash has to be a first-class citizen in the world of payment options,” he said.
Later adding his request was not about the $8 penalty charge, he also contested the town’s interpretation of provincial legislation that outlines regulations to establish rules such as the utilities bylaw and that deadlines that fall on holidays and weekends should be extended to the next regular business day.
Coun. Todd Dalke agreed cash payment options should be more prioritized but added, “The world is changing. Unfortunately, we all have less on hand and if we had 1,000 residents come that wanted to pay cash we would have to have a larger float on hand.”
Dalke asked if Lapalme had in previous cash transactions been unable to get just a few dollars in change, or had expected larger amounts.
“My bill is usually between $250 and $350 or something like that,” Lapalme said. “So, I would show up with – at most – $400 and maybe like a $50 or $20 (bill).”
Dalke was of the opinion that administratively speaking, the municipality should be able to accommodate a float of at least $100 to provide change for such cash transactions.
Coun. Jaime Marr sought a motion directing administration to bring the bylaw to the review committee, but mayor Richard Warnock said that as a matter of order council should before deciding anything else choose whether to approve or deny the requested waiver.
Coun. Chris Vardas moved to deny waiving the $8.16 penalty.
“I’m a cash guy, straight-up cash guy, and I do understand what you’re trying to say,” said Vardas. “But at the same time, I believe the way the world is going, it’s all about interact and debit and online.”
Much as the digital world can drive Vardas up the wall, the councillor added, “That’s the way it is. So at the same time, we got to move forward.”
The councillor said he “100 per cent” agreed there should be enough change available in the drawers at the municipal office to accommodate cash transactions.
“But at the same time though, I got to take the responsibility and the onus upon myself” to plan payments accordingly when there are upcoming stat holidays and early deadlines, he said.
“One day ahead or one day after really doesn’t make a difference to my mind,” he said.
“We can’t always pass the buck, we got to take it upon ourselves as well.”
Speaking in favour of the motion to deny the requested waiver, Coun. Owen Petersen said he was interested in further investigating the pertinent legislation.
“But for now, I think that we all have to draw a line when bills are due and there was 19 full days to pay it before that line,” said Petersen.
Speaking against the motion, Coun. Jaime Marr reminded council the municipality strives to make the community as accessible as possible.
“And having the ability to pay cash if you aren’t privy to electronic means, I think is a form of accessibility,” said Marr, adding Sundre has a higher-than-average elder population that sometimes requires a little longer to adapt to technology.
However, Lapalme’s concerns did not stem from being unable to pay online due to not having access to electronic means, but rather simply a preference against doing so.
The mayor was in favour of the motion and said administrative functions are first approved by council direction. Warnock also echoed Vardas’s philosophy.
“Whether we use cash, debit card, Visa card or whatever, we are responsible to look after our own business,” he said, referring to making payments on time and factoring in holiday closures.
“I’m responsible as a citizen in Sundre to pay my utilities on time or pay the penalty.”
But the mayor also said he welcomed Lapalme’s effort to bring the matter to council’s attention, and agreed with Marr’s suggestion to initiate a review of the bylaw to “take a look and see if we are in contravention of any of the statutes.”
With only Coun. Paul Isaac unable to attend the meeting, the motion was carried with Marr being the lone dissenting vote.
Marr then presented a motion directing administration to initiate the bylaw review process and along the way taking into consideration the concerns raised by Lapalme and determine whether updates are warranted.
“Cash is absolute and we should be able to provide for it,” she said.
The motion carried, with Petersen then proposing another directing administration to increase the float by a reasonable amount to facilitate providing residents with change for cash transactions and to provide a risk analysis, if applicable, at the next meeting.
“It is something that we could do,” said director of corporate services Chris Albert, who was also acting CAO.
“It is not something that I would recommend doing and it is not something that I would do without council understanding all the risks and ramifications of that.”
Vardas pointed out that would require diving deeper into details to determine what that amount should be.
“Now you’re putting risk as well. That’s why a lot of stores, you go in, they say right there: ‘There’s no cash over a $100,’” he said.
Expressing confidence in the municipality’s administration, whose staff includes “very professional accountants,” Petersen felt it was feasible.
The mayor wasn’t convinced.
“I believe it’s setting a precedence before we’re ready as council,” said Warnock. “I believe that we need to deal with the bylaw, deal with the issues, before we start dealing with how we’re handling those issues.”
The mayor said he would support directing administration to look into possibly increasing the float, but was against issuing direction to immediately do it.
Drawing from his experience working behind a counter, Petersen said he understood the matter of risk.
“I work retail, I work with two floats every day that are under $200 and I can make incredible amounts of change. This seems very, very simple to me, to have a small float that can handle these bill payments,” he said.
“Maybe there would be an amazing risk level brought up over $100 or $200, but I just don’t see it.”
With only six members of council present, Petersen’s motion was defeated as a result of a tie vote that was split at three. In favour were Dalke, Petersen and Marr, while Warnock, Vardas and Coun. Connie Anderson were opposed.
Vardas and Warnock thanked Lapalme for attending.
“We like it when citizens do exactly what you did,” the mayor said. “You got the debate going.”
Responding to a follow-up question regarding how many formal complaints have been submitted to the municipality about the inability to pay utility bills with cash, Chris Albert told the Albertan, “To my knowledge – at least in the last seven years – we have never had any formal concerns brought forward about an inability to pay cash.”
The municipality does accept cash payments, he added.
“But as with any payment method, there can be limitations such as never mail cash or leave it in a drop box.”
