Newmarket considering new stormwater charge for property owners
Municipality has 53 ponds, 55 kilometres of waterways and 225 km of sewers to maintain

YorkRegion.com
Nov. 14, 2016
Chris Simon

Newmarket residents may start paying for the stormwater runoff generated by their properties soon.

Council is considering adding a new stormwater charge into its 2017 user fee bylaw. Under the plan, properties will be divided into low (golf courses and vacant properties), medium (residential and institutional) and high (commercial and industrial) runoff groups.

Low runoff properties would be charged $185 on average each year. Meanwhile, medium runoff sites would pay $38 annually and high runoff properties will be charged $475 per year, town treasurer Mike Mayes said.

The funds will be used to pay for future stormwater management improvement projects.

Mayes says the town needs to ensure it has enough money to cover inevitable environmental, aging infrastructure and flood prevention needs. The town has 53 ponds, 55 kilometres of waterways and 225 km of sewers to maintain and about $17 million is required to replace assets that are reaching the end of their useful life over the next 10 years.

“A stormwater charge will provide a funding source that is reliable, predictable and fair, to ensure the stormwater management service can continue to be effectively run in the future,” he said.

However, he stresses this will not generate additional revenue for the municipality. To balance out the money generated by new charge, staff plan to decrease property taxes by 2.6 per cent and the water and wastewater rate by 0.7 per cent.

Stormwater runoff is water that flows off properties mostly due to rain and snow. Proper management will help reduce the negative effects that stormwater has on the environment, and lower the risks of flooding that can damage property, Mayes said.

The town has engaged residents in several ways during the development of the charge. It hosted a public information centre (PIC) and a community open house in fall 2015, as well as consultation with the town’s environmental advisory committee and a focus group in partnership with the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce. The town also posted notice of the PIC on Facebook.

Residents are invited to send a deputation to the town’s committee of the whole meeting on Nov. 28. The meeting takes place at Newmarket Town Hall, 395 Mulock Dr., at 1:30 p.m.

The town’s 2017 fees and charges bylaw could be approved in December. For more information on the proposal, contact town financial business analyst Kevin Yaraskavitch at kyaraskavitch@newmarket.ca.