Red Deerians will not have “more control”over their utility costs starting on March 1st, 2018, according to a City of Red Deer press release.
A bylaw, which was passed on Feb. 5th, shows that the average household will see an increase of $2.49 per month which is equal to 2.4 per cent.
The City says, however, that changes to the fixed costs and per-use costs will offer residents more flexibility in their utility expenses.
“Utility rates for water and wastewater are made up of two components – a fixed monthly charge and a variable usage charge,” said Environmental Services Manager Tim Ainscough. “By lowering fixed fees, we have increased the proportion of the bill based on actual use, which will give residents more control over their monthly bills.”
For example the variable dollar per meters cubed rate for water increased from $1.47 to $1.52, however the fixed monthly fee dropped from $16.05 to $15.70. This, on average, is an increased monthly water fee from $40.04 to $41.54.
For wastewater, the average monthly fee will grow from $40.84 to $41.51 and the average monthly fee for monthly residential waste collection will grow from $20.40 to $21.72. The Multi-family monthly fee will grow from $4.40 to $4.24.
“Utility rates for water and wastewater are made up of two components – a fixed monthly charge and a variable usage charge,” said Environmental Services Manager Tim Ainscough, “By lowering fixed fees, we have increased the proportion of the bill based on actual use, which will give residents more control over their monthly bills.”
Fee changes will come into affect on March 1st, 2018 and will be reflected on residents April utility bill.
-Vaughan
