A Water Query Or Queries.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "I Nearly Forgot":

Councilor , what exactly are you saying here , that the amount of water sold to contractors is not deducted from the amount sold to metered customers, In other words are you saying that the Town is selling the same water twice ,once to the contractors and once to the metered customer.
Please clarify

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Being involved in town affairs a long time  means you learn a thing or three along the way.Enough to know what questions to ask if something doesn't  make sense.

Water  meters have always been a source of irritation. Water is in the ground. It is ours to take.Costs involved are pumping it out of the ground, storing ,  treating .and distributing it.

I figured  at the time we did it, the real  purpose of metering was to impose rates for  sewage treatment.

When  meters were installed,I pointed out, not all water used found it's way into sewers.

Eventually  the  sewer rate changed to take that into account. But of course  we have no way of knowing if the reduction was adequate.  Sewers are not metered.

Then  an item appeared on the bill called "miscellaneous".  Eventually it was  identified as  storm water pond surcharge.There are no storm water ponds in my neighbourhood. Then it  was explained  as a means to restore water  quality to Lake Simcoe.

Lake Simcoe is large.  Many towns surround it including Barrie. Are they all paying a surcharge on water. And what does it have to do with supplying water and treating sewage.

We don't take  water from the lake and we don't pump  treated sewage into it.

Then the  question occurred about homes not receiving a water bill, not paying the surcharge the night  before Council passed the  bylaw to increase the rates again in 2011 almost 11%. After increasing them 12% in 2010.

I thought, that's outrageous. Water is a necessity of life. What other cost of living is allowed to increase by that much without  a full and satisfactory explanation.

And that's not happening.

Last year, they increased "water loss" from 8%to 12%. No reason offered.

On April 27th 2010 ,I asked about the town's water use.The CFO responded it was metered and charged to the department budget.

This year we discovered  that is not true.

Councillor Thompson learned  in a private conversation , consideration is now being given to metering town  uses.

When I don't receive full information, or I receive  incorrect answers. I tend to become edgy and obsessive. I think,somebody is taking me for a fool. New questions spring to mind.

The question about the town selling water and where the revenue shows up occurred to me last Friday.

The town has always sold water to haulage contractors. To  fill swimming pools. Top up wells. Forty years ago the Province provided grants to farmers to create ponds on their property. I imagine they might need topping up as well in a drought.

Developers need tanker trucks to wash down streets and keep irrigate new sod. 

So I asked . Where does that revenue go.

An insert  accompanies the quarterly bill. It indicates water rates are not subsidized from the town levy.

It  says nothing about the town levy being subsidized from water rates.

I believe  that 's  happening.

Obviously, I am not an accountant. There may well be more methodology for calculating rates than I understand.

But Council has made  decisions to increase water rates  for the past two years based on information which was neither complete nor  accurate.

I  have not been  able to change that.

The majority rules.

But I can make sure of one thing. If I think consumers are being overcharged for water rates. they will know about it or I am not doing my job.

I made a commitment to look after their interest. They took me up on that and elected me. I took an oath of office and I will keep it.

I make no apology for  that.