ST. PAUL – After receiving their most recent water and sewer bills from the Town of St. Paul, several residents have expressed concerns regarding an increase in fees – and administration is encouraging residents to reach out to the municipality to discuss the changes.
During the regular Sept. 23 council meeting, CAO Steven Jeffery reported to council that he has been spending time communicating with the public and concerned citizens around the increased water and sewer utility bills.
While changes in the utility bills may not have been surprising to council, he acknowledged it was a shock to many residents to see the increase in their most recent bills.
He encouraged the public to reach out to him and his team to discuss the changes.
“We’ll go through them together and show you exactly what these charges are for, where they’re going, and what they’re meant for,” said Jeffery.
The CAO said he realizes changes can be difficult, “especially financially.”
“It’s tough on everyone, and especially those who maybe are already having a tougher time paycheque to paycheque, so to speak, so I do feel for everyone,” he added, but explained it is responsible for the municipality to plan for the future.
“For anyone who did see this as a surprise, I am sorry. I wish we could have done better,” said Jeffery, adding, he is working with staff on creating a better communication strategy.
This strategy will be similar to what the Town has already been doing. But it could also include a highlights page that will not require an individual to watch a full council meeting to get an overview of what has been discussed.
“This is a highlights page that we could post any notes we’ve talked about,” released a day or two after a meeting, he explained.
During discussions with council, Mayor Maureen Miller did indicate she liked the idea of creating the highlights.
“I think it’s great,” and also another opportunity to review the Town’s entire communication plan, she said. “If we can do better, we do better.”
Communication platforms being used include the Lakeland This Week newspaper and the Town’s website, along with the new Town app, said the mayor.
“It just feels sometimes that I don’t know what more to do, but it’s not enough, obviously, with the feedback that we received,” said Miller.
Coun. Nathan Taylor also suggested offering a question-and-answer period.
“Council meetings are, of course, open to the public, but they're not open to the public for engagement and discussion, but a formal question period would allow a time for public to [engage] during a certain 15-minute period,” said Taylor.
“Just an idea to help add to more public communication,” said Taylor.
Background
On July 7, council passed a water and sewer service bylaw, which saw the addition of a new water and wastewater capital replacement levy. The funds are being set aside to replace water and sewer infrastructure in the future.
Originally, the replacement levies were $17 for water and $9 for wastewater. Council decreased the amount to $7 for water and $3.50 for sewer, starting Sept. 1. The levies will increase to $10 for water and $5 for sewer in January 2026.
Part of the July 7 changes also include switching to monthly billing rather than bi-monthly.
Water rates decreased from $1.60 per cubic metre to $1.31 per cubic metre, while sewer rates decreased from $1.20 per cubic metre to $1 per cubic metre.
The $28.78 water flat rate previously charged every two months has been removed. Instead, there would be a monthly water service charge, depending on the size of a homeowner’s water meter.
The fixed sewer charge also increased from $26.76 every two months to $36.10 every month.