Vaughan taxpayers' water rates rise with combined York increase

Yorkregion.com
April 15, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins

The cost of taking a shower, doing a load of laundry and flushing your toilets is set to rise, once again.

The Region of York recently jacked up its water and wastewater rates, now the city is poised to do the same, leaving you with a combined increase of 8.85 per cent.

That works out to $75.27 a year, or $6.27 per month, for the average homeowner who consumes about 300 cubic metres per year.

The bulk of the increase, 6.35 per cent or $55, pours into the Region of York’s coffers while the remaining 2.5 per cent - or $20 - flows to the city.

The hike is being driven, in large part, by the need to build up reserve funds to cover the costs of maintaining and replacing aging infrastructure such as water mains and water treatment facilities,

Vaughan’s water and wastewater infrastructure, which is much smaller than the region’s, is valued at more than $1.5 billion, according to John Henry, Vaughan’s commissioner of finance and city treasurer.

“The cost of maintaining these things is growing,” he said. “They are very, very long-term assets. Recently, with the Safe Drinking Water Act coming online and requiring governments to focus on the sustainability of the water system, there’s a movement toward making sure that there’s adequate funding in their budgets to provide for reliable delivery of water and wastewater services.”

Rate hikes are forecasted to continue for at least another three years, with the peak reached next year followed by a gradual decline to just below 6 per cent in 2017, Mr. Henry said.

This year’s proposed hike comes on the heels of an overall property tax hike - including the city, region, school board and Vaughan hospital levies - of about $65 for the average homeowner.

You’ll have a chance to share your thoughts on the water and waste water rate increases during a special council meeting Tuesday, April 29 at 7 p.m. in the council chamber at city hall, 2141 Major Mackenzie Drive.

“People sometimes see the increase and they think it’s all city based, but we’re trying to make sure that we communicate that the bulk of that is not in the city’s control,” Mr. Henry said. “The regional councillors were part of that decision (at the Region of York) on why that increase was there so they’ll be able to answer any questions from the regional perspective and provide that education.”