Taxpayers say ‘No’ : Stormwater Utility program shelved until next year

County staff will work with consultant to refine program and invest in public education before presenting new plan in 2025

By Casandra Turnbull

Plans for a New Stormwater Utility Program are on hold, at least for this year.

This news comes this week as County of Brant staff presented results from a public engagement campaign stating an overwhelming number of respondents are not supportive of the Stormwater utility charge on their property tax bill The public comment forum and survey was open from March 8 to April 5 on the EngageBrant platform, as well as a phone in survey. A total of 3,100 visits were recorded on EngageBrant during that period of time and 307 visitors completed the online survey Twenty-nine concerned residents took the time to comment and share their opinion, not including the more than 200 comments left from survey respondents.

While the topic drew a lot of community interest and engagement, the campaign also highlighted some misunderstandings of the Stormwater proposal, according to an update from Andrea Bazzard, Director of Environmental Services for the County of Brant presented as a report to the Policy Development Committee on Tuesday.

On several occasions in the report, county staff noted that residents commonly referred to the Utility Program as a new tax when it is already part of the general tax levy. The County wants to move the Stormwater Management Budget off the general levy and create a dedicated stormwater utility fund, which staff say will allow them to manage

The range for 2023 stormwater user fees in Ontario is shown in the table above. The rate shown is the minimum rate, usually applicable to residential properties less than 0.4 hectares (1 acre) in size or less. The range of fees (Minimum fees) shown is $35 to $230 per year this portfolio of work as a utility. When this was communicated to residents, often during phone conversations and one-on-one engagement, staff were able to help residents understand the intention of this proposal Of the 3,100 hits on the EngageBrant Stormwater landing page, there were only 996 visitors on the Frequently Asked Questions page and only 296 people went on to view the staff presentation.

In the comments feature, there was a consensus from respondents asking why this utility program is required after an 8 7% tax increase this year.

The county maintains its an existing program that needs enhanced funding moving forward because of regulatory changes brought down from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks which will result in funding constraints that requires the County to implement annual operations and maintenance programs for stormwater management The County operations $183 million worth of stormwater infrastructure. The report also noted that county staff feel it is evident they should engage in more public consultation before implementing the program to ensure taxpayers fully understand the perimeters of Stormwater Utility. Staff were directed to further define a proposed Stormwater Utility including refinement of the operations and maintenance plan required by the Combined Linear Infrastructure Environmental Compliance Approval (the new Ministry regulation) and hire a consultant to prepare a financial plan for stormwater operations and develop an enhanced public education program. Staff have until 2025 to report back to council with the refined program