Since the Public Utilities Board (PUB) won’t be able to approve the city’s three-year water rate application in time for the new year, council voted to request interim 2018 rates at their Nov. 27 meeting.
These interim rates represent an approximate 15 per cent increaseover current prices, with the quarterly service charge being raised by about six per cent ($79.23 to $84.23) and the water rate going up by from $1.46 to $2.39 per cubic metre.
On the other hand, wastewater rates will actually fall by around 30 per cent, from $1.66 to $ 1.28 per cubic metre.
According to a memo from project specialist Carol Taylor, these price increases are largely due to carrying costs for the new sewage treatment plantand the costs associated with transferring ownership of the water treatment planfrom Vale to the city.
In the end, council approved these new interim water rates by a vote of 7–2, with councillors Duncan Wong and Ron Matechuk voting against.
However, this resolution was met by plenty of vocal opposition before the vote was cast.
During the general inquiries section of the meeting, United Steelworkers Local 6166 president Les Ellsworth questioned the validity of asking local taxpayers to shoulder increased water rates that haven’t been officially approved by PUB.
After being asked the same kind of question by several other concerned citizens, including Wong, city manager Gary Ceppetelli assured them all that the proper process for establishing water rates is being followed, since they’ve already submitted their rate applications to PUB.
“If they don’t approve it in time, they require municipalities to put interim rate requests forward,” Ceppetelli said over the phone. “Those interim rate requests, as mentioned by Ms. Taylor, have been given board order approval from the Public Utilities Board. Just because they are interim rates, does not mean that they are not approved.”
While these new interim rates could be in place before then, Thompsonites will get the opportunity to express their feelings on the proposed three-year water rate when PUB holds a local public meeting in the new year.
Chemical for water treatment plant
During this meeting, council also voted to continue to use the chemical WATERCARE A42080 at the water treatment plant after the facility is officially transferred to the City of Thompson on Jan. 1, 2018.
Even though the vote was unanimous, Wong still asked if it would be possible to find a cheaper alternative, since the use of this chemical in 2018 will set them back $419,760, plus tax.
However, Coun. Kathy Valentino said Vale has used this chemical for years and vouched for the quality of their product selection process.
“I think that we don’t take their advice lightly,” she said. “We take it very seriously, because they are the ones that have been operating this plant, and when it comes to the safety of the water and the advice and the information they’ve given us, I think that this is the proper process that we follow and we adopt.“
Waiving land lease fees
Council wrapped up this meeting by waiving land lease fees for three local organizations: Thompson Trailbreakers Snowmobile Club ($7,481), the Heritage North Museum ($7,481) and the Thompson Wildlife Association ($14,962).
While the majority of council voted in favour of these resolutions, Wong opposed all three, believing that they shouldn’t forgive 100 per cent of these land lease fees now that the city is going to experience tough financial times on the horizon.
Instead, Wong suggested that council could forgive around 25 to 50 per cent of these land lease fees in the future.
While Coun. Judy Kolada voted in favour of all three resolutions, she mentioned that Wong’s proposal is worth considering going forward.
“I agree with Coun. Wong that there is going to be difficulty raising revenue and perhaps during our budget deliberations we should be discussing what percentage we will waive in the future.”
The city’s public budget consultation meeting is taking place Nov. 30 at the Thompson Regional Community Centre multipurpose room at 7 p.m.
The next city council meeting is set for Dec. 11 at City Hall.
