Rocky View County council unanimously voted to adjust water and sewer rates in Balzac, Langdon and East Rocky View, June 12.
The changes to the Master Rates Bylaw include a redefinition of low-, medium- and high-volume usage, as well as corresponding rate changes.
“With these rate adjustments, we are moving toward full cost recovery,” said Deputy Reeve Margaret Bahcheli.
County staff told council cost recovery through user fees and charges will ensure more accurate budgeting.
“With these rates, we’re confident we can realize our budget goal,” said County Operations Manager Stuart Jewison.
Bahcheli noted high-volume users and those with water meters will see a reduction in fixed fee monthly charges, while most rates per cubic metre will increase.
Users of the East Balzac Water System will be classified as low-, medium- and high-volume users for consuming up to 49, 50 to 499 and 500 or more cubic metres of water per month, respectively. Fixed monthly rates will decrease from $44 to $20 for low-volume, $137.50 to $50 for medium-volume, and from $1,100 to $150 for high-volume. Per-cubic-metre rates will increase from $2.33 to $2.82 for each. Single residential properties formerly not charged for water and sewer access will be subject to a $15 per month flat fee plus a $2.82/cubic metre surcharge.
Sewer system
Users of the East Rocky View and Langdon sewer systems will experience increases in their flat monthly fees.
Single residential/commercial users will see an increase from $48 per month to $52.76 per month.
Mixed-use properties will see an increase from $48 to $142.45 per month if the property includes a restaurant, and an increase from $48 to $71.22 for those without. Formerly, these properties were charged a flat fee per occupied unit.
“In some areas of Langdon, there are businesses with houses attached, and they were charged two flat fee charges before,” said Byron Riemann, County general manager of infrastructure and operations.
“Now they will be charged as one unit.”
Single residential property owners that use water meters will see their fixed monthly rate remain at $30, with an increase from $0.90 to $1.125 per cubic metre. Non-metered homes will see an increase in their flat monthly rate from $57 to $61.56.
Metered non-residential properties will see their fixed monthly fee remain at $45, with a decrease from $1.20 to $1.125 per cubic metre.
Bulk residential properties will see their fixed monthly fee remain at $30, while per-cubic-metre charges will increase from $1.90 to $2.438.
According to Riemann, all Langdon properties are currently charged flat fees, as is the case for the majority of homes in the area.
However, some properties, such as the multi-unit residential development in Conrich, are metered and charged a bulk user fee.
Riemann said it depends on the individual household whether users would benefit from a flat rate or metering.
“If there are 10 people living in the home, they are high-volume users and would benefit from a flat rate,” he said. “But if it is a family of two, there would be a potential advantage to metering because they’re not using as much.”
While recognizing that some residents may have concerns over the changes to their water and sewer fees, Riemann said it is a positive change in terms of cost recovery for the County.
“This is the cost of providing the services that we are providing,” he said.
The new rates will come into effect on Sept. 1. For more information, contact the County at 403-230-1401 or visit www.rockyview.ca
