City of Cranbrook utilities ratepayers will face a $2 per month increase in 2014 for water, sewer and solid waste services.

City council Nov. 4 unanimously approved water works, sewer rates and solid waste collection and disposal bylaws (No. 3782 – 3784), and ratepayers will be facing a $24 a year increase to cover operating costs.

The city’s water rates will climb to $20 a month from $19, creating $124,314 more in annual revenue and bring Cranbrook’s annual water user fee revenue to $2,311,325.

The annual sewer user rate charge is also climbing by $1 a month from $17 to $18, which will bring in about $124,799 in additional revenue in 2014, with the city’s forecasted sewer user rate revenue to $2,103,889, the bylaw outlines.

The ‘good news’ end of the city’s annual utility rate setting is garbage – as in solid waste.

Council agreed to lower the solid waste utility user fees by $1 a month, from $12 to $11.

The one dollar a month decrease will decrease the city’s revenue by about $157,138, reports the city’s director of finance and corporate services, with landfill revenue dropping to about $1,815,306.

Council was happy to approve a decrease.

“Decreases never happen with government,” exclaimed Coun. Gerry Warner.

“It’s a misprint!” laughed Coun. Angus Davis.

“Yeah, they do happen,” said Mayor Wayne Stetski, explaining, “We believe we can decrease the user fee and still cover all our operating costs.”

“Who says council doesn’t give Cranbrook taxpayers a break?” concluded Warner.

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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