You'll be able to plunk in YOUR numbers.
A sure sign that something interesting was before them on Thursday was bureaucrats' eyebrows arching.
Even politicians who normally pooh-pooh Gyula Kiss' proposals seemed interested.
He's done it again.
Gyula Kiss has proposed a 2016 Water Rates proposal that has everyone paying the same rate.
Before you freak at the $2.59 / m3 rate because, as a homeowner, you're currently paying less per cubic meter with your family's conservation efforts...pay attention.
Your water bill will likely decrease!
Dig out your water invoices.
Calculations will be done for you.
As Bob Spiers' blog states:
"Councillor Kiss' rate structure is basically to lower the base fee to $55.59 per quarter ($25.86 base + 29.73 for borrowing outstanding) and charge everything above the first 10m3 per quarter at the rate of 2.59m3. Everyone in the non agriculture class would be charged the same base fee per connection and the same consumption rate. (Residential, Commercial, & Institutional)
How this would affect the various classes can be ascertained by using the online calculators . Just click in your average quarterly consumption (in the yellow box) to see the effect on your water bill when compared to the 2015 rates. Note there are separate calculators for residential and Commercial/institutional.
Remember that this is an alternate rate structure proposal that will be discussed at the rates workshop that will be held in January or February of 2016."
Dig out your water invoices.
The residential calculator is here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HMfaBLo5llptiYVNIxMhGKhVVHpPcPXKcpav5Ecvn7k/edit#gid=0
The commercial/institutional calculator is here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FgwH8iYm8oRsvp2KsIs70yG4ipyhy1RYHu-a08mgzT8/edit#gid=0
"The advent of fairness?" asks Kia.
Now let's see if GVAC can achieve consensus in their rates deliberations...coming up early in the New Year.
Resource: Water Rates Bylaw 2672, 2015, beginning on page 9.
Kiss has it wrong on so many levels - he claims the brewery does not need a taxpayer subsidy and can simply absorb the increased cost of water by passing it onto their customers. But if he was a Vernon councillor, he would have known that Vernon just approved spending $4 million for a pre-treatment facility for the brewery... to enable the brewery to dump wastewater into Vernon's sewer after making beer. If this assistance had not been provided, Vernon would no longer have a brewery.
ReplyDeleteThis is a sad effort to shift $1.3 million a year in water fees from residents to businesses. That could possibly allow residents to save as much as $70 per year (whoop-dee-doo), but would place a significant burden on our local businesses.
That is because there are 17,484 residential connections, and only 1450 commercial, industrial and institutional connections.
$1.3 million/year divided by 1450 is an average increase of $900. Not exactly affordable.
For business, water is yet another expense on a balance sheet, tax deductible against gross revenue. A big expense, but deductible nevertheless. 100 per cent deductible.
ReplyDeleteI have a business too, but it appears I'm alone in admitting domestic customers can't deduct water expenses from gross income.
And frankly, if business leaders get ticked off enough, perhaps change will occur. The domestic sector--despite being the largest--is powerless against the bureaucracy.
And maybe it's time to recognize that agriculture should pay more. This despite their having "given us the licenses"...so we pay and pay ad infinitum. Not unlike Quebec, n'est ce pas?
Five cents a cubic metre is giving it away.