Storm Water Management Surcharge

When storm water management costs shift to the new fees, Council must ensure that property taxes are reduced in a transparent way so that homeowners are treated fairly. I will work to make sure this happens.

The City of Waterloo has decided to implement a new dedicated fee for storm water management starting in 2011, shifting the cost away from property taxes and allowing the City to plan to rejuvenate the infrastructure and protect our groundwater. These charges are aimed are reducing the cost imbalance between business properties and households, since currently households pick up more of the cost while commercial properties put more strain on the system. This is not a matter of asking our local businesses to pay more than their fair share, but rather asking them to be paying an amount that reflects what they are using, instead of placing too much of the burden on the average Waterloo household. This should keep costs lower for residents, as they stop paying for the storm water management costs of larger properties in the city.

I will work with other members of Council to make sure that Waterloo homeowners are treated fairly as the new charges are implemented. This means that homeowners should transparently see their property taxes reduced when storm water management costs shift to the new fees. This also means that the City should provide fair rebates and incentives for households and businesses to reduce storm water run-off, as those reductions will save us all money in the long run and protect our community’s environment.