Council amends Master Rates Bylaw, three per cent increase to water and wastewater services
Rocky View County (RVC) council unanimously approved an amendment to the 2024 Master Rates Bylaw, which applies a three per cent increase in utility rates for water and wastewater services.
The amendment, which was approved at the April 23 meeting of council, took effect on May 1. The amendment originated from the April 9 council meeting where council directed County administration to prepare an amending bylaw for approval.
According to the council report on the subject, the proposed three per cent increase in the water and wastewater would result in approximately a “$200,000 increase in revenue and a two per cent increase in overall full cost recovery.”
Alternatively, administration outlined a five per cent and eight per cent increase to the water and wastewater rates for council’s consideration. According to administration, the five per cent rate would result in approximately $350,000 increase in revenue and a three per cent increase in overall full cost recovery. The eight per cent increase would result in approximately $590,000 increase in revenue and a five per cent increase in overall full cost recovery.
Some on council desired to make the amendment five per cent– which was the original recommendation presented to council by administration on April 9– but the motion to amend to five per cent failed, with councillors Samanntha Wright and Kevin Hanson voting to support, while councillors Crystal Kissel, Don Kochan, and Sunny Samra voted to deny the five per cent amendment. Councillors Greg Boehlke and Al Schule were absent for the vote.
Council then voted unanimously to support the three per cent rate increase, which took effect on May 1.
Council approves two Prince of Peace Improvement bylaws
Council unanimously approved the 2024 Prince of Peace Sage Local Improvement Tax Bylaw and the 2024 Prince of Peace Village Rehabilitation of the Water Distribution Local Improvement Bylaw.
The Prince of Peace Sage Local Improvement Tax Bylaw authorizes Council to revise the local improvement tax for the benefitting lands in Prince of Peace Village due to what the County describes as “higher than anticipated borrowing costs.” The same could be said for the Village Rehabilitation of the Water Distribution Local Improvement Bylaw, which also authorizes Council to revise the local improvement tax due to higher than anticipated borrowing costs.
According to the Municipal Government Act, “after a local improvement tax rate has been set and it is discovered that the actual cost of the local improvement is higher than the estimated cost on which the local improvement tax rate is based, Council may revise, once only over the life of the local improvement, the rate with respect to future years so that the local improvement tax bylaw will raise sufficient revenue to pay the actual cost of the local improvement.”
