‘It’s unrealistic’: Richmond Hill farmer walks out of meeting as council addresses high stormwater bill concerns

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 15. 2022

Paul Doner stormed off amid a Richmond Hill council meeting on Dec. 7.

The Richmond Hill farmer who repeatedly voiced his concerns about the city’s stormwater management fee structure said he was upset that a new council resolution -- intended to ensure fairness -- would still cost him thousands of dollars for a service his family farm doesn’t receive.

At the council meeting, city representatives unanimously adopted a two-phase measure to temporarily modify the stormwater management fee structure by putting a land area cap for select property types in an attempt to address the high bill concerns.

“I’m not happy at all. It’s too much. It’s unrealistic,” Doner told the Liberal after the meeting.

The resolution came months after the farming communities railed against the city’s stormwater rate structure introduced in April, which caused a significant jump on the bills of local farmers and other large property owners.

Under the interim modified fee structure, those who own farmland, vacant land and golf courses larger than 10 acres will be charged a stormwater fee capped at 10 acres.

Landowners of residential properties larger than one acre will be capped at one acre, according to the motion put forward by Regional Coun. Godwin Chan.

“This is not the end of it. This is a thoughtful phased approach,” Chan said at the council meeting.

The motion notes that previous bills issued in April 2022 will be cancelled and readjusted accordingly while the city undertakes a review of the stormwater funding and its rate structure.

Doner, whose family owns a 100-acre farm on Leslie Street, said they will still be charged for stormwater management, more than $3,000 a year under the modified structure, due to the mixed property types.

While it was lower than the previous bill, which would cost them almost $15,000 a year, Doner said it remains unreasonably higher than what they used to pay -- less than $150 annually.

“I don’t get more benefits than anyone else. Why do I pay more than them?” Doner asked.

The Doner family has owned the farm in Richmond Hill for more than two centuries, which has never received any stormwater management from the city, he said.

The family manages stormwater through two ponds on the property. There are also cisterns in the basement of the residential building and the barn, and storm collection basins around the back shop, he noted.

Regional Coun. Joe DiPaola said the interim measure “goes above and beyond“ to accommodate everyone.

“The rain falls equally on every single square in Richmond Hill … (stormwater management) is something everybody benefits from,” DiPaola said.

The stormwater fee isn’t attributed to specific infrastructure near a person’s property, and all properties generate runoff at various levels, which is typically managed within city infrastructure, and each property owner uses infrastructure throughout the city, such as roads, that rely on stormwater infrastructure, according to spokesperson Libbi Hood.

The measure will result in a decrease of $495,000 in the city’s 2022 revenue, a difference which DiPaola said would be covered by the rest of Richmond Hill ratepayers.

The Doner family farm is among 94 properties in the category of farmland, golf course and vacant land that are receiving the interim fee cap. And, 410 residential properties will receive a relief on the stormwater fees as well, according to a staff report.

The report says the city identified a significant shortfall in funding for operating capital activities and approved the new rate structure in 2020 in place of the flat-fee system introduced in 2013.

The new system recognizes property areas and property land use types which are the primary parameters in the creation of runoff, the city spokesperson said.

She noted many impacted residents and property owners whom staff have spoken to are “in favour of the new system.”

The city has received about 100 inquiries about the new rate structure since it took effect in April and has resolved most of the questions, the report says.

After an analysis of best practices, city staff recommended a refinement to the rate structure as the charges on the largest properties do not compare well with other municipalities.

Doner finds the refinement inadequate to solve his problem.

“They're dumping the water on me and then charging me for the pleasure of dealing with their water. It's just not fair, ” Doner said.

The farmer provided a video showing rainwater flowing through culverts from Stouffville Road and Leslie Street into his property.

Chan’s motion also sets out to introduce a credit/subsidy system for managing runoff on one’s property, which will be retroactive to April 1, 2022.

Acknowledging the grave concerns raised by the farming communities, several council members said they would keep the stormwater fee program a “living document” to make sure it’s more equitable.

“I think they're done with it. They'll say let's look at some credit system here and maybe we can reduce that amount, so it goes from $3,000 to $2,000. It’s still too much,” Doner said.