St. George water, sewer rates increasing - Jan. 16, 2013
Barb Rayner
St. George
Town council has approved a $75.50 increase in water and sewer rates for 2013, pushing bills to $400 this year compared to $325.50 in 2012.
Council approved a water rate of $285 and a sewer rate of $115 per year and also approved the first and second readings of the by-law relating to water and sewer treatment systems fees and charges.
The 2013 utility fund budget increased from $591,260 in 2012 to $640,155, and Mayor Danny Henry said the 2013 utility operating budget is $640,155 which is an increase in revenue of $50,000 over 2012. This, said Henry, will be raised by increasing the rates from $325.50 to $400.
Coun. Bruce Jackson, who chairs the water and sewerage committee, in comparing the $400 rate to other jurisdictions, noted that St. Stephen’s rate is $635, Blacks Harbour’s is $552, Saint Andrews’ is $532 and Saint John’s is $972.
“Through the years, at budget time, successive St. George councils have had to deal with how to keep our rates down while, at the same time, carrying out refurbishment of an aging infrastructure system.
“Over the past decade, many upgrades have been carried out to our system, most notably, booster station upgrades, replacement of aging lines and the addition of a new well.”
The town has been fortunate in the past, he said, in that a combination of federal and provincial funding and a modest yearly surplus, has enabled it to carry out these upgrades without significant increases to the water and sewer rates.
However, said Jackson, over the past few years most funding assistance has either been eliminated or exhausted.
For full story, see Tuesday's Courier.
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