Prince George city council has approved a new strategy for trucked sanitary sewer waste fees at the Shelley Lagoon.
At the Nov. 8 council meeting, city council approved the initial steps for a fee strategy that would offset the costs of operating the Shelley Lagoon which only accepts trucked waste.
Capital, operating, and maintenance costs associated with this site are currently covered under the city’s sewer utility budget.
However, the trucked waste that comes to this lagoon is primarily sourced from locations that are not connected to the existing sanitary sewer system. That trucked waste is therefore originating from locations that are not paying into the sewer utility budget.
Properties on septic systems and truck haulers do not pay into that fund and, as a result, city property-owners are subsidizing the waste facility.
Haulers pay a yearly access fee for the site, but do not pay a volume charge for the increasing amount of material being deposited.
The proposed amendment to the comprehensive fees and charges bylaw aims to make the users of the Shelley Lagoon fund the maintenance of the lagoon by incorporating a volume charge.
The city says lagoon maintenance costs have increased over the years, due to an increase in hauler traffic and the volume of material being deposited.
The intent of a user-pay system is to provide a more equitable funding approach for this service and ensure the users of the service fund the service.
The city estimates the costs associated with lagoon maintenance will require a fee of about $45 per cubic metre of deposited material.
If it is approved by council, the city will phase in the fees over seven years starting on Jan. 1, 2022, to reduce the immediate financial impact:
- 2022, 2023, 2024 - $22.50 per cubic metre
- 2025, 2026, 2027 - $33.75 per cubic metre
- 2028 - $45 per cubic meter
The draft bylaw amendment will be brought for final reading and adoption at an upcoming council meeting.
