Councillor blasts 'disingenuous' storm water rate hike

An Ottawa city councillor sayshe and the rural residents he represents have been "blindsided" by drastic annual increases to a newly introducedstorm waterfee.

The city deviseda new fee system for water and sewer services last year in an effort to raise moremoney to maintain the system, a bill that's estimated to rise to$2.6 billion over the next decade.

• If you conserve water, you could soon pay more under Ottawa's new flat rate

Until recently, rural residents with private wells and septic systems haven't paid for storm water service.

Projected annual rate increases tabled at Tuesday's meeting of the environment and climate protection committee show residents will pay as much as 13 per cent more each year for storm water service over the comingdecade. The city expects to reap $50.3 million in revenue next year, and$134 million by 2027.

Those figures include inflation.

City 'disingenuous,' councillor claims

ButCoun. ScottMoffatt, who represents the rural ward ofRideau-Goulbourn, said the city wasn't upfront about the increases when it introduced the plan last year.

"I think it's disingenuous that we created a new feeand came back several months later with a report that projects ... that fee will be increased by 270 per cent," Moffatt said, referring to the increase in projected revenue from wastewater by 2027.

We didn't lie to people, but we certainly didn't tell them the whole story. It lacked transparency.- Coun. Scott Moffatt

Storm waterfees, which rural residents will now pay, are projected to rise much more dramatically than other water services, which they will not.

Theaverage combinedrate increase for water, wastewater and storm waterwill be5.2 per cent eachyear for the next five years, and 4.4 per cent for each of the following five years.

By comparison, the storm waterfeesalone are projected to rise at more than double those rates.

Moffatt said that's a big difference.

"There's not a single budget in the City of Ottawa that I know of that's going to increase by [that rate] over the course of 10years," he said.

The 2018 increase will mean an extra $3.50 for the averagerural homeowner, according to deputy treasurerIsabelleJasmin.

Chair defends process

David Chernushenko, chair of the environment committee, said no promises were made last year when the storm water rates wereestablished.

"I don't believe residents were at all hoodwinked, misled, lied to. No shell games here," said Chernushenko.

Previously the storm water fee was included in urban property owners' sewer rates.

Rural residentsturned out in droves to public consultations when the changes were proposed. Moffatt said many expressed concern that once introduced, the separate storm water fee would rise unabated.

Now, Moffattsaid, that's exactly what's happening.

"We didn't lie to people, but we certainly didn't tell them the whole story. It lacked transparency."

The proposed rates have been referred to city council for debate next week.

The rates won't be set until city council approves them along with the rest of the budget in December.