ARICHAT: Three years’ worth of proposed water rate hikes for Richmond County residents drew no spoken or written opposition at a public hearing held earlier this week.
The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (UARB) hearing, which took place on January 18 at the Richmond Municipal Building in Arichat, wrapped up in 45 minutes without any form of comment from members of the public. The only person in attendance that was not an elected member of council, a municipal employee or a media representative, former Richmond County Warden Richie Cotton, did not speak at the hearing.
If the municipality’s application receives UARB approval, the current average quarterly water rate of $65.66 for customers of the Richmond County Water Utility would rise by 21 per cent to $79.62 during the 2016-17 fiscal year, before increasing a further 19 per cent to $94.75 in 2017-18 and climbing by 15 per cent to $109 by 2018-19.
In addition, other metered services covered by the same water utility would see amendments ranging from 26 to 37 per cent in 2016-17, 23.3 to 28.8 per cent in 2017-18, and 12.2 to 14.5 per cent in 2018-19. The municipality’s application also proposed a decrease in the annual fire protection charge paid by Richmond County, from the current rate of $157,064 to $152,064 in 2017-18, with a further drop to $147,064 in 2018-19.
Richmond County’s Director of Public Works, Chris Boudreau, had previously told a recent municipal council meeting that a new water rate study was primarily carried out due to the pending construction of a new water treatment plant to serve the Louisdale-Evanston-Whiteside region.
During the public hearing, a four-person delegation that outlined the new rate structure also suggested that the increased rates would head-off a potential deficit position for the Richmond Water Utility over the next four years.
“There will be a deficit in the operating budget of the water utility, during the last two test years [of the new plant], in the order of $143,137 in the final test year, without the rate adjustment,” warned Gerry Isenor, whose firm G.A. Isenor Consulting was hired by the municipality to address the issues facing the main water utility.
Isenor, flanked by fellow consultant Blaine Rooney, Boudreau and Richmond County Director of Finance Jason Martell, also noted that “it has been a number of years” since the last rate adjustment for the Richmond Water Utility, which took place in 2008.
While the hearing’s chair, UARB board member Murray Doehler, sought a handful of clarifications on numerous issues related to the application, he closed the meeting by conceding that he “might have been a bit harsh” but did not see any serious issues with the rate schedule brought forward Wednesday afternoon.
“I know you’re going through a rough time here in Richmond County, and I wish you good luck in going through all that, but this is a good application,” Doehler told the county-led delegation.
The UARB is slated to render a decision on the proposed water rates and fire protection charge within the coming weeks.