Council considered a number of options regarding the dedicated Stormwater Infrastructure Fund and how best to implement this.
In 2024 there was a public survey asking residents to vote on how they thought the dedicated fund for stormwater management should be calculated. Following this survey, Council voted to proceed with option four which was to create a utility fee based on the actual measurement of the hard surface area in a sampling of all property types. Option four was the most popular with survey respondents, who said it seemed the most fair.
The report to council explained the first step in determining the stormwater fund fee structure was to measure the hard surfaces of properties within city limits. The City hired AECOM Canada to perform this work utilizing aerial photos and property information. Measurements for each residential property’s hard surface was completed and an average residential hard surface area was calculated equaling 304m2. This is known as 1 ERU or 1 billing unit. All residential dwellings will be charged based on one billing unit.
Council voted for the next steps to be to begin charging all properties on January 1, 2027 at less than the full funding level with phased increases over two years to reach the full funding level. They also requested a report back from