Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Rate Structure Review
Time to write the Mayor and Councillor Chernushenko
City Staff have recently tabled a recommendation to increase stormwater fees by between 10-13 % annually beginning in 2018 until 2017. This recommendation comes after a final report in 2016 on stormwater fees to Council promising that they would follow a graduated schedule until 2021 to give residents time to adjust to the new fees. Obviously this move will eliminate the phase-in period and negatively impact the tax bills for residents. Councillor Moffat and Councillor Darouze are opposing the recommendation. Write the Mayor at jim.watson@ottawa.ca and Councillor Chernushenko at david.chernushenko@ottawa.ca
It is time to make your voice heard!
Please see below for how the rates were proposed in 2016!
The City is going ahead with new fees to distribute the $42 million in stormwater costs to residents and businesses in Ottawa. Since amalgamation, all stormwater costs were incorrectly assigned to the water rate program and charged on the basis of water usage.
The new fee structure for stormwater, starting in 2017, has residential properties paying a fixed monthly fee depending on where you live and what type of dwelling you live in.
City listened: Rural Ottawa residents' and businesses' stormwater fees will pay for rural road ditch and culvert maintenance
The city spent $2 million in 2016 to maintain rural road ditches and small and medium rural road culverts. This money was financed from residents on city water services. Council's Environment Committee recently approved an amended staff report recommending that in future, this cost will be paid from rural residents' and businesses' contribution to the new stormwater fees. The money will be transferred to the roads department to pay for this maintenance. This recommendation reflects what rural residents overwhelmingly told the city that they want.
Rural residents and businesses will pay a total of $2.6 million ($2 million from residential properties and $0.6 million from industrial, commercial and institutional properties) to maintain rural ditches and culverts, in addition to village stormwater infrastructure.
Rural residents and businesses on private services will see a new charge on their tax bills phased in over 4 years. For most of them, this new fee will amount to $1.11/month on their final 2017 property tax bill, and will rise to $2.22/month in 2018, $3.33/month in 2019 and to $4.44/month in 2020. Any changes in the fee after 2020 will require a further staff review, public meetings and Council approval.
The other good news for rural Ottawa is that the city has agreed to reform its ditch alteration policy in 2017. The current policy does not permit any ditch alteration in front of homes by homeowners.