Shitty Sewer Billing Tactics

Wait until Mark Sandberg learns that his sewer billing complaint includes his Christmas visitors!

But first his letter to the editor of June 1st:

"I write this letter as a concerned person of all of the homeowners and business owners in Vernon.  This is written to warn you of the possible taking of your hard-earned money by the City of Vernon.

I am not sure if anyone noticed the little blurb at the bottom of the quarterly utilities invoice for the first three months of the year.  It states, "Sewer charges are based..."

It seems the city bases its billing of the residential sewer at $2.45 on the first three months and then automatically bills you the same amount every quarter.  What you may not know is, if you had a leak, or used more water than normal in those months, you will be charged that amount on all further bills regardless of how much water you actually use.

This means if, as in my case, a person is charged $90, and even if you never used another drop of water the remaining nine months of the year, the city will continue to charge you $90.  In essence, they will be billing you for services not used.

As the majority of people are not aware of this, they may in face pay hundreds of dollars more a year than they should be for their quarterly utilities.

"Meaning they are over charging for services

they are not providing.

Even if I use less water

 they still continue to charge me the same."

Let me further clarify.  My quarterly invoice for two years has been just over $200 for each of the three-month periods.  Now according to the city, because I have supposedly used more water (the meter is to be tested), they are billing me more than $300.  They say I have a leak and all of the water in the house has been looked at and there are no leaks, thus the reason the meter will be tested for accuracy.

But because they billed me $90 for this quarter, regardless of if I use any water, they automatically bill the same amount for each quarter.  So if I left Canada for the rest of the year, my bill is not based on actual usage but based on the first quarter.  Meaning they are over charging for services they are not providing.  Even if I use less water they still continue to charge me the same.

Obviously this is not a fair system.  So I wonder how many people get over charged on every quarters(sic) utilities invoice when he city is basing your usage on a guess rather than facts?

So if you had a leak or used more water in the first three months, and will never use that amount again, be prepared to have your money taken for no just cause.

To me the city should be fair.  I have paid around $20 for this same cost for each of the quarterly utilities invoices in the previous two years.  Now the city says, no matter how much water I use, my sewer fee stays at $90.  When my water usage goes down, so should my cost for my sewer usage.

The city does not believe in this and thus, consumer beware.  Your city may be bleeding your pockets for the services it never provided you."
       Mark Sandberg

"The alternative is to celebrate Christmas with your relatives in November," suggests Kia.


A somewhat related letter to the editor from Bill and Elaine Dunsmore had a suggestion:


"We applaud Vernon Mayor Akbal Mund's metaphor that city hall should run like a business.

Now if he will just extend this logic to include dividends (tax rebates), we would be overwhelmed.

Given the fact that commercial permit activity has grown by more than 2,000 per cent -- $833,500 during the first four months of 2015 to $22.9 million this year (Morning Star, May 27), we feel the investors (taxpayers) could use a dividend (tax rebate)."
     Bill and Elaine Dunsmore

"The City may know what a metaphor is," says Kia, "but they don't know the definition of 'fairness'; it isn't in their vocabulary."



Elected officials are mere puppets of the bureaucracy. 

They Can't Even Decide on Pickleball Issue

...yet the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee is overseer of the multi-million dollar Master Water Plan.
Is it any wonder the water situation in the North Okanagan is in trouble?

The lack of leadership from Coldstream Mayor Garlick and Vernon Mayor Mund equates to their inability to prudently say "yes" or "no" when warranted, whether dealing with bureaucrats or the public.

Resident Joe Fabi's excellent letter today hits the nail squarely on its head, confirming the lack of leadership:

"Water bill must drop, Morning Star January 10, 2016:

There's a difference between my single-family dwelling in Coldstream with two occupants and the same water bill in Kelowna.

We used 128 cubic metres of water in June, July and August 2014, which included prudent lawn watering.

So Vernon/Coldstream was $302.50 versus Kelowna at $96.59, about triple the price.

"When will we start running Greater Vernon

on a business basis?" Joe Fabi

My neighbour on a fixed-income does not water the lawn but has a good sized garden to offset his food bill.  He used 193 cubic metres at a cost of $442.25 for water.  That's some encouragement to grow locally and provide for his family.

Let's look at the rates from another perspective.

Assuming there are 60,000 people living in Greater Vernon and there is an average of three people per household, that equates to 20,000 households.  Assume as your average water users, I paid about $232, therefore a saving of $463.  Now multiply this by 20,000 households which equals $9,260,000.

That's enough to pay off the new track, enough over the next three years to build and pay for a new arena, art gallery and museum, etc.

Surely, our local government should look into this matter seriously and find a way to bring water rates down.  Otherwise, who will be able to vote on future referendums?

How much money can this community afford as water rates have gone up 65 per cent in the past four years (2012-2015) while the cost of living has gone up 5.4 per cent, with another rate increase proposed for 2016.

When will we start running Greater Vernon on a business basis?

We need vision and leadership to tackle the fact that there are about $200 million in future projects required in our community over the next several years.

Taxpayers are already maxed out, especially with these high water rates.

Hopefully this is an eye-opener to our Greater Vernon elected officials to put together a comprehensive, affordable business plan in order to save the future of this community."  Joe Fabi

"Lest the North Okanagan becomes Barkerville II," suggests Kia.



   

Is there a pickleball court in Barkerville?

Uberprotecting Farms

Morris Alger says it the way it is.

Especially in his most recent letter to the editor of the Morning Star, published May 20, 2015:

"Water Access:

The Morning Star (Water flows for growing farm April 5th) reports that terms of an agreement between the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee and the Township of Spallumcheen were arbitrarily bypassed so treated water is now supplied to a private agricultural business.

Director Akbal Mund is quoted as saying, "We're here to help our businesses grow."

This is too much to impose on City of Vernon taxpayers coping with hugely exorbitant water rates.  The 80,000 apple trees should have been planted in a(sic) area where untreated water is available.

Was the orchardist advised in advance that water would be made available despite the existing agreement and a staff recommendation against providing additional water?

In the same newspaper, a letter to the editor expresses concern for local cattle producers facing hardship.  Should we be subsidizing those cattle producers too?

How long would the list be of local businesses wanting financial help?  I am not against helping small business, it's what is being used to do it, subsidized treated water for agricultural water at my expense.

Now a dangerous precedent has been set.

As you are aware, using treated water for other than domestic purposes is most controversial, but if this is a short-term solution for the orchardist, at the very least, he should be paying the same rates as I do for the same treated water.

The master water plan referendum against borrowing money to support it, and objections to high water rates, have been at the forefront of the news.

When GVAC arranges to provide a private agricultural business with treated water at a lower cost than what I am paying, it's a slap in the face.

Mund seems to have forgot that he also wears a mayor's hat.  Who's looking after my interests?

It seems to me that decisions about or water are being made without the utmost respect our most precious resource deserves, and with little or no regard for the people who pay it.  Is the City of Vernon taking any action so I am not subsidizing the cost of water for the orchard in the long-term?"

Morris Alger  

                     

"There comes a point when the subsidised entity is no longer an economic benefit to a community," offers Kia, "because of the sheer amount of money the subsidisers have paid to keep the entity solvent."

Whether it's BC Assessment's rock-bottom land values for farms, or dirt cheap water...

Point reached! 

 

The New Guy

He has a lot to learn.

New Vernon Mayor, Akbal Mund, can be forgiven for his enthusiasm when he said "We're here to help our businesses grow," in his capacity as director of Greater Vernon Advisory Committee.

He was referring to the applicant's successful application for additional 2 hectares of water for an orchard that now encompasses 80,000 apple trees.  Staff had recommended rejection of the application.

Voting against the additional water allocation were directors Jim Garlick, Gyula Kiss and Bob Spiers.

Gyula Kiss was quoted in today's Morning Star: "If it wasn't treated water, I would have no problem with them having all of the water they need.  But when we have expensive (treated) water, someone has to subsidize it when it's sold at a lower cost," and the financial impact is on domestic customers whose horrendous residential water rates subsidize farm water costs.

"This is an area we've historically given (blog highlight) water to," said Agriculture rep and director Ted Osborn.
Given is the operative word.

Here's what GVW staff had to say about a separate application for a Tree Seedling Nursery property application for irrigation water:  "The water source proposed to provide irrigation water to these subject properties is treated potable water from Duteau Creek Water Treatment Plant (DCWTP). The RDNO is endeavouring to minimize the impact on the DCWTP by encouraging treated potable water to be used for domestic purposes only. This property is not located within a proposed Separation Area and will not be provided with a separate non treated irrigation connection. The applicant has no option but to use the treated water source currently available.  The Master Water Plan identifies these properties as not being within the boundaries of a Separation Area and hence will not receive non treated irrigation water in the future."

Mr. Mund needs to learn how Greater Vernon Water is helping businesses grow.
Or not.
Just ask Hillview Golf, Highlands Golf, Swan Lake Fruit and Garden, Art Knapp Nurseryland (while it was still in operation), Atlantis Waterslides, Tekmar just how they're being helped by Greater Vernon Water and politicians.

Helped in the downhill slide towards closing permanently (which Art Knapp nursery has already done)!


Yup, we six businesses listed above hired a lawyer back in 2005? (or was it 2006?) to represent us in an appeal to the Regional District because bureaucrats, with the help of the advisory committee, were about to totally eliminate the Non Domestic, Non Potable Commercial Irrigation category!  Our appeal was successful because we proved that other communities were actually increasing the number of categories to more accurately reflect their customers' water usage!

That famous quote from Yogi Berra comes to mind:  "It's deja vu all over again."

Why?

Well, let's see how Mr. Mund's promise to help businesses grow is working so far.  This is from the Advisory Committee Agenda dated March 5, 2015.  That's also the agenda for the 2015 Water Rates.

"Non Domestic Non Potable rates in Section 5.e.i apply to the following properties:

-7921 Greenhow Road

-7961 Buchanan Road,

 -1101–14 Avenue

-7920 Highland Road,and

- 5100 Silver Star Road

 All these properties shall be phased in to be billed at 100% of the Non Domestic  and MixedUse Fee at the following:

2015     60% of Non Domestic and Mixed Use Fee

2016     70% of Non Domestic and Mixed Use Fee

2017     80% of Non Domestic and Mixed Use Fee

2018     90% of Non Domestic and Mixed Use Fee

2019    100% of Non Domestic and Mixed Use Fee"

"The water authority and uninformed politicians giveth and taketh away," offers Kia.

Must be in another community...certainly not the North Okanagan

Akbal Mund sure has a lot to learn.
The poor guy.