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Volume 16 Issue > 7 JULY 13 — AUGUST 9
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Utility connection fees increase as municipality plans for repairs JEAN STRONG FEES TO CONNECT TO WATER OR WASTEWATER SERVICES IN SUN PEAKS are making a sharp jump after municipal council voted to approve changes to the utility on June 21. Previously free, it will now cost $3,000 to connect both water or wastewater for every six bed units. A single family home is defined as six bed units and larger developments will have more. Other utility fees will also see large increases. Fees for hydrant use moved from $100 to $1,000, fees for standpipe use changed from $50 to $500 and hydrant/standpipe meter set rentals bumped from $25 to $100. These fees are often charged to festival organizers to fill ponds, or to homeowners or contractors for lot compaction. Those applications already being processed will not be charged the new fees but any building permit applications after June 21 will be required to pay. Rob Bremner, chief administrative officer for Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM), said going forward they are trying to balance the cost of water and wastewater with a combination of rates and fees. He said connection fees prior to SPMRM’s purchase of the water utilities from Sun Peaks Resort LLP in
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early 2018 were very low compared to other communities and that each connection takes capacity from the system. He added more changes may come as Development Cost Charges come into effect sometime this year. A report presented to council by Pat Miller, director of utility services, said increases are an attempt to recover true costs and encourage water conservation as well as prepare for future repairs. With over $48 million in assets, some components of the system are starting to show their age. The sewer system uses gravity to flow waste downhill to the treatment plant but the same inclines that make directing the sewer easy make moving water a challenge, requiring pumps to push water to all areas of the village at the right pressure and to maintain flows for firefighting. The water is also treated with liquid chlorine and filtered before it flows out the taps, one reason the municipality wants to discourage its use on construction sites. Previous rate structures were designed to collect around 50 per cent
from usage fees and the remainder from fixed fees. Those rates cover operational costs and minor maintenance but the systems immintently require expansion and upgrades. Small repairs have been scheduled over 10 to 15 years, falling short of the three to five year schedule that would meet best management practices. Large, more expensive, projects have also come up in recent years including a well across the street from the CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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bearcountry.ca Vol 16 Issue 7 July 13 — August 9
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