ST. PAUL – Town of St. Paul customers, including the public, businesses, and other municipalities, will see an increase in fees with several services, effective soon, after discussions during the regular council meeting on Aug. 28.
The fees have not been increased since 2017, heard council. The following is a breakdown of some of the services that will increase.
General Fees
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Plugged Sewer (Power Snake): $255 to $300 per hour on weekdays, and $355 to $400 after hours.
- Frozen Sewer (Steamer) and Kwik Freeze Water Service: $255 per hour to $275 on weekdays, and $355 to $375 after hours.
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Frozen Water (Magikist): $255 per hour to $300 on weekdays, and $355 to $400 after hours.
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Turn Water On/Off: $85 per hour to $90 on weekdays, and $118 to $120 after hours.
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Camera Sewer Service: $305 per hour to $350 on weekdays. Service not available after hours.
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Street Sweeper: Now $225 per hour. Not available after hours.
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Hydro excavator (Vactor): $250 to $300 per hour on weekdays, and $350 to $400 after hours.
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Grader 140M: New rate is $224 per hour, up from $215.
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Snow Blower Attachment: $300 per hour, up from $290.
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Crushed Concrete: $15 per yard to $22 yard if customer picks up the load at the Transfer Station, and $250 per load if delivered within Town limits.
Council discussions
Mayor Maureen Miller asked Director of Public Works Michael Landry what triggered the proposed increases.
“One of the things that we’ve been noticing is that the cost of everything has been jumping,” and the old fees are not able to cover the cost of all repairs and replacement of parts required to do the services, explained Landry.
He said some equipment is also reaching its end of life.
“So, we’re also trying to build up a little bit to be able to replace them as well.”
There were some discussions regarding why brand names were included in the proposed fee schedule, with Coun. Nathan Taylor noting that it is fair to include them, such as the Town using Vactor for its hydro excavator.
“If we bought a better unit, maybe the price would be higher, right?” said Taylor.
Taylor also asked if the Town rents out its equipment, which CAO Steven Jeffrey said it does not.
Following further discussions, Taylor moved to amend the fees. The motion was carried.
Town lowers water and sewer capital replacement levies
Also, during the last regular council meeting, the Town of St. Paul lowered the new water and sewer capital replacement levies that had recently been added into the water and sewer service bylaw.
The capital replacement levies - $17 for water and $9 wastewater - were made effective on July 8.
But on Aug. 12, council discussed decreasing the levies. At the time, Mayor Maureen Miller said that after feedback was received from the community, she felt “we may have been a little aggressive,” which prompted the discussion.
Council passed the first reading of the bylaw again on Aug. 12 and directed administration to review the levies.
On Aug. 26, administration came back with the new numbers.
According to the draft changes attached to the agenda, the water capital replacement contribution levy will go down from $17 to $7 a month, beginning on Sept. 1, and will increase to $10 on Jan. 1, 2026.
Sewer capital replacement levy will go down from $9 to $3.50 starting Sept. 1, before going up to $5 on Jan. 1, 2026.
No discussions took place, and council passed the second and third reading of the bylaw.
