Water Rates
The Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) infrastructure services committee is endorsing a recommendation to increase water rates for the Regional Water Service Area, and the North and South Pender Harbour Water Service Areas.
In the larger, regional service area, the parcel tax will remain the same – $255.41 – but residential user fees and the commercial metered user rate will go up by four per cent. According to SCRD staff, the net increase for residential users will work out to two per cent (about $10), which is roughly equal to the rate of inflation.
The increases will be similar for the North and South Pender systems.
For the North, user fees and meter rates will increase four per cent for 2017 and parcel taxes will stay the same. It works out to around $9 for a single-family home.
The same four per cent increases for user fees and meter rates in the South will work out to approximately $14 extra for a single-family dwelling.
Area A director Frank Mauro said he’s encouraged by the trend that shows the rate increases for the two water services areas in Pender Harbour more in line with what’s happening elsewhere. “Both North and South Pender Harbour were slightly above the overall rate increases in the past, and I think we’ve caught up now,” he said.
Skate Club Grants
Directors at the Dec. 15 infrastructure meeting also voted in favour of grants-in-aid to support the Sunshine Coast Skating Club’s ‘Elvis Rocks the Coast’ event in March 2017.
A plan to waive arena rental fees for the skating show featuring former Olympian Elvis Stojko was rejected because it would violate a long-standing SCRD policy.
Elphinstone director Lorne Lewis had already pledged $500 from the Area E grant budget, and was willing to add more to bring it up to $634. The directors for Areas F and B also voted to support the event at that level, but Frank Mauro of Area A and Mark Lebbell of Area D opted for less.
Mauro, who approved a grant of $300, said he felt it was a worthy event but had concerns about each area being asked to contribute the same amount. “I don’t see all that much participation in this particular event – largely because of distance and time – from Area A.”
Lebbell, who also opted for $300, said, “I’m quite protective of our grant-in-aid function, and growing more protective of it… Without having consulted with my grant-in-aid committee, I feel like there’s room for support here, but I’m not comfortable at the degree in the [staff] recommendation.”
With the changes made Dec. 20, the total SCRD grant works out to $2,502.
Grants from Gibsons and Sechelt are being left to the municipal councils to decide. Gibsons has already pledged $1,000.
