The water and wastewater connection fee bylaw has recently been amended after numerous developers raised concerns since it was first passed in October.
When the bylaw was passed, it established a connection fee of $15,000 for residential parcels and $25,000 for commercial regardless of who pays to initially install the service in the area. However, it has now been amended so the fee is only paid when the Town of Sundre pays to install the services.
No concerns regarding the proposed amendment were brought forward during a public hearing held during the council meeting on March 17. Council then passed second and third readings of the amendment. First reading was passed during the Feb. 18 council meeting.
“The concerns were, where a developer was installing his own services he would also have to pay a connection fee,” said Erin O'Neill, the town's manager of planning and development.
“So the intent of the connection fee was, where the town put in the services they'd pay to connect so we could gain some money back from the money we paid out to put the services in,” she explained.
“But in the typical development a developer puts in his own water and wastewater services so he shouldn't have to pay to connect when he has paid to install the services.”
The bylaw has also been amended so the fee only applies to properties within town limits, as well as Tall Timber.
“When we did the connection fee bylaw, it was anybody that connected to services, whether they paid to install them or not, was going to have to pay that connection fee. So the amendment is just to when the town installs the services they only pay then,” she said.
The amendment to the bylaw is consistent with the process in other municipalities, she added.
“Upon the completion and passing of the Offsite Levy Bylaw in April 2014, administration will be determining a more appropriate connection fee for county properties.”
The bylaw states that each property owner is responsible for any costs associated with the connection from the service to the property line and from the property line to their building.
When the bylaw was passed in October, it was noted that the fee is reflective of the current costs associated with the services which include administration, contingency, engineering and GST.
As well, if a lot is subdivided after the service has been provided, the new lot will require a new service to be installed and the connection fee will apply to the newly titled lot.
The Town of Sundre and Mountain View County both signed a memorandum of agreement in the fall allowing for county property owners to connect. This is why administration officials felt it was necessary to create a bylaw that established connection fees for the entire town.
