New Westminster Record November 26 2020

Page 1

NEWS 11

City eyes anti-racism framework BUSINESS 21

Giving back at Christmas COMMUNITY 26

First female inspector for NWPD THURSDAY NOV. 26, 2020

LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS

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DISTANCE Do Your Part – Stay 6FT Apart

FOOD DRIVE: New Westminster Police Department surpassed its $3,000 fundraising goal for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society – with help from community members. Along with an online fundraising campaign, the police department held a drive-thru event at city hall on Nov. 21, collecting food and cash donations for the food bank. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

Council endorses raise in utility rates for 2021 Theresa McManus tmcmanus@newwestrecord.ca

NewWestminster city council has endorsed utility hikes for 2021 – and it hasn’t ruled out reinstating a 1% climate action levy. Council has given its approval in principle to utility

rates for the electric, water, sewer and solid waste utilities. “We are in line with the existing approved five-year plan that was presented last year.The rates are for the plan,” said HarjiVarn, the city’s finance director. “The electrical utility

is proposing 2.8%, the water utility at 7%, the sewer utility is 7% and solid waste utility at 12%.” According toVarn, the proposed increases to utility rates translate to a $174 increase to each household. “The proposed fiveyear plan is fiscally pru-

dent and sustainable as it maintains assets/infrastructure in a state of good repair through reasonable rate hikes and utilizes the reserves to plan and avoid any major spikes in rates/ impacts to services longer term,” said a staff report. Rod Carle, general man-

ager of the electrical utility, said the utility is proposing 2.8% increases annually through 2025. In November 2019, council approved a 1% increase to rates for a climate action levy starting in 2020. In response to COVID-19 impacts,

city officials decided in the spring to stop collecting the levy for the rest of 2020. The staff report stated the city’s draft five-year financial plan recommended a reinstatement of that increase in 2022. Continued on page 3

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