Council here approved a water and sewer financial plan at its Jan. 24 meeting.
What it has yet to determine is if full metering of water and sewers will be put in place by 2017, the recommendation contained in a plan submitted to town council by Watson and Associates Economists Limited.
The province requires municipalities to submit a financial plan for water and sewer operations. The deadline for Minto’s submission was Jan. 29.
Under the plan, sewer and water users would see a monthly bill of $51.40 for water and $59.87 by 2016 for sewer, based on annual use of 270 cubic meters. Last year, users paid $42.50 for water and $46.50 for sewers. With meters in place, users would pay for what they use.
Some 200 commercial properties currently have meters, while residential property owners pay a flat fee.
There are 2,287 for residential units and 260 nonresidential water users being billed about $1 per cubic meter. Sewage usage is for 2,183 residential units and 249 non-residential units and set at $1.11 per cubic meter used.
Watson estimated that by 2020 water use will involve 2,539 residential and 287 non-residential units, and sewer use will involve 2,435 residential and 270 non-residential users.
Andrew Grunda, of Watson and Associates, told council the plan takes into consideration current reserves that would be used for upgrades to the system, and how much would be raised through billing. He said bills will continue to fluctuate for metered and flat pay users until all meters are in place.
“By the time we get to 2016, everybody is paying the same rate,” Grunda said in an earlier presentation to council.
Minto Treasurer Gord Duff, said in a report to council the plan spells out what is required to eventually reach user-pay status for the systems.
“At the end of 2011, water and wastewater reserves totaled approximately $1.9 million. Outstanding water debt is now about $1.5 million and outstanding wastewater debt is $3.5 million,” Duff said.
If the recommendations are followed, the total water debt in 2020 will be about $2.25 million, while the outstanding waste water debt balance will be about $1.4 million.
“In summary, water and wastewater rates are forecast to continue to increase from 2013 to 2018, but the amounts of the increases are lower than if the same rates as contained under the current (previous) bylaw were projected into the future,” Duff said.
It is anticipated meters could cost about $1 million, which would be included in user bills to pay it off, if council decides to operate with meters.
