The cost of municipal water and sewer services is on the rise across Muskoka.
During the reports from committee portion of the June 20 District council meeting, Councillor Phil Harding reported on a joint engineering and public works and corporate services committee meeting held on May 30, which he chaired.
Harding noted that committee heard a presentation by Hemson Consulting Ltd., hired by the District of Muskoka to undergo one of several growth-related studies.
“After the presentation and discussion, committee is recommending to council today a rolling five-year increase equal to 2.5 per cent annually for water and 3 per cent annually for wastewater,” Harding told council. “Due to continued financial hardships of COVID, committee is also recommending a further delay and extension to January 31, 2023 for implementation of our mandatory connection bylaw,” he added. “It should be noted however that since the start, and our most recent efforts in updating our mandatory connection bylaw, we now have a 61 per cent compliance rate, which is great news.”
District water and sewer rates are among the highest in the province. Municipal representatives have continually pointed at Muskoka’s expansive geography, and the fact that there are nine drinking water facilities, and eight wastewater (sewer) facilities to operate and maintain as well as nine septage lagoons (according to its website), as the challenge.
The District charges for the service through a fixed charge, a consumption charge as well as a tax levy.
Among the consultant’s summary of key findings, rate increases are required to continue to meet operating and capital obligations.
It also concluded that the current capital reserve levels are low and could represent a financial risk for the District over the short term in order to carry out critical repair and replacement work without continued rate increases.
You can find the consultant’s report here.
Harding also gave council a summary of the District’s core infrastructure, as it pertains to water and sewer services, he said the District operates 318 kilometres of waste water sewers and associated treatment plants, with a total cost of about $620 million dollars. “We have 361 kilometres of water mains and associated reservoirs and plants for a total cost of $572 million.”
Council approved committee’s recommendation. The recommendations related to rate increases are expected to form part of the District’s 2023 budget.
Don’t miss out on Doppler!
Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox three times per week!
Click here to support local news
Steve Taylor says
And the price for natural gas is going up 20% next month as well. Pretty tough on people all around.
Bob Braan says
Water and sewer is $200/month or $2,400!!/year in Muskoka including $900+ shown/hidden on our property tax bills.
People on the lakes complain about high taxes but they don’t pay $2,400!!/year to the District for services.
Highest cost in Ontario.
No other municipality puts huge services charges on property taxes.
No other municipality builds multi-million dollar, vastly underutilized water and sewer systems for only a few hundred users.
Ridiculous.
Worst services management in Ontario.
Water in Muskoka is often not usable. Yellow, muddy, too high or too low chlorine.
They say you have to let it sit to dissipate the chlorine stink. Or just hold your nose.
Assuming water is available at all.
It was totally off in Gravenhurst and Bracebridge recently.
People had to melt snow to flush their toilet.
Sewers aren’t any better.
1.13 million!! litres of sewage spilled into Muskoka rivers and forests in the last few years.
Not counting filling resident’s basements with sewage.
And then the District has the audacity to force people to hook up to their old, unreliable, leaky, exorbitant cost systems.
Anyone hooked up is contributing to all the sewage spills.
Your own systems are much cheaper and better for the environment.
Paying the higher rates encourages the District to “Smugly Waste Taxpayer Money.”
You might think easy access to unlimited water would result in low rates.
Nope. Not here.
Extremely high cost rates means very big savings with extreme water conservation.
You can save $1,000+!!/year here with extreme water conservation and substitution techniques.
3L toilets work very well. Or even Zero litres.
For a list of extreme water and money saving ideas go to the website “Oppose Bracebridge Sewers.”
Cut your payments to the District not increase them.
Bob Braan says
Extremely high cost services rates means very big savings with extreme water conservation.
You can save $1,000+!!/year here with extreme water conservation and substitution techniques.
3L toilets work very well.
Or even Zero litres.
For a list of extreme water and money saving ideas search “Oppose Bracebridge Sewers.”
Cut your payments to the District not increase them.
Bob Braan says
Water and sewer is $200/month or $2,400!!/year in Muskoka including $900+ shown/hidden on our property tax bills.
People on the lakes complain about high taxes but they don’t pay $2,400!!/year to the District for services.
Highest cost in Ontario.
No other municipality puts huge services charges on property taxes.
No other municipality builds multi-million dollar, vastly underutilized water and sewer systems for only a few hundred users.
Ridiculous.