Water Audit Report. 2

Item 3 In
the August 14th Council Agenda was a water audit report, twenty- six pages long.

Staff recommendation was:

"Council receive the report for information and the town be an actiove participant in the York Region/Municipality Water audit.

That the town continue to investigate and implement best practices for water management"

"The purpose of the report is to follow up on the commitment during the 2011  budget discussions that introduces the application of a methodology for auditing water usage within a municipal water supply system to aid in a full accounting of the water inventory.The report also includes an assessment of internal water uses that have been previously unaccounted  regarding certain parks operations as recently identified during council discussions."

There are twenty six more pages. It was on the agenda for discussion on Tuesday night. It wasn't dealt with,  along with several other matters requiring our attention.

The report was in response to earlier discussions relating to water rate increases  For the second year I have challenged the methodology used to calculate water rates and to justify  rate increases of almost twenty-five per cent.

I disavow the increases.

My reaction was triggered in the year 2010.  An increase in "water loss" from 8% to 12%. was cited as part of the reason for increases in the rates.

For a number of years, hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, have been invested  in measures  to reduce water loss. That water loss increased  in 2009 from 8% to 12% was not credible..
 
I asked for a record of water breaks .
I was refused. I was told staff were afraid I would distort the figures.

It was the wrong answer.

It was in the term of Mormac ,Circa 2010. Council's authority was not evident. Staff on the other hand, personally vetted and under complete control of the former Mayor, were in the ascendancy.

In 2011, a second increase of almost twelve per cent was recommended. and again  was adopted.

"Water loss" was still identified as a factor.

Water used by tax supported services was said to be estimated and charged to various departments.

Water is used to clean streets, fight fires, irrigate sports fields, create winter ice rinks, provide  two  splash pads for children in town  parks and sundry other purposes.

It was determined  firehalls are metered. Fires are fought from tankers . Before  return to the firehall, tankers are re-filled from hydrants. Hydrants are not metered.Numbers of  fires were said to be minimal. The water audit report indicates an average of 123 fires a year. Generally, two tankers attend.

Unaccounted  water use is now acknowledged.  That is, water not billed.to  user. Previously I believe, identified as "water loss"

The town buys water wholesale,  The supplier  must be paid. The region is the supplier.

Hydrant keys are provided to contractors. But it seems hydrants are easily accessed by those in the know. Water can be taken without  record. The practice has been observed.

An intricacy of the system is communication between town and region. The town informs of an estimate consumption. If summer is hot and dry, consumption matches estimate and books balance.

If summer is wet, consumption goes down. Apparently putting the town in deficit. Funds generated from metered use are insufficient to pay the region's bill.

The deficit is re-covered from reserves which must be replenished the following year from increased rates.

Indicating, in a wet summer, we pay the region for water not used.

They get paid for water not supplied.

From rates collected from metered water users.

Metered users pay for water they did not use.

A surcharge charged in water bills pays for maintenance of storm water ponds. A device developed to restore water quality to Lake Simcoe.

People with wells and septic systems do not receive water bills. They do not therefore contribute to restoring water quality to Lake Simcoe.They get a free pass. It's not worth much. But it represents an  inequity between town property owners..

Well owners are taking water from the same source as the region but  to them  free.

How could it be otherwise?

But the rest of us pay for it by the metered gallon.

This year, besides relieving some homeowners of the expense of special pumping stations that allowed their homes to be built ,by putting it on the shoulders of the rest of us, a new issue has come to light:

the Water Rates Bylaw was passed by Council to take effect on May 1st.

Residents receiving a quarterly bill on May 9th, were charged the increased rates retroactively to February.

Those receiving bills in June, were charged retroactively to March, Those receiving bills in July, retroactively until April.

The Region has indicated its intention to continue water increases for the next four years. So the people annually receiving water bills on May 9th will; actually pay increased rates three months ahead of everyone else; making it every nine months instead of twelve.

There is no practical solution, it seems,to the problem of retroactively overcharging an entire segment of the community every year for annual increases in water rates. If they notice it,they just have to eat it.

With all our technology, we cannot figure out a way to avoid overcharging residents for the water they use.

How does the region justify increasing water rates to that extent every year for six years?

When I raised the issue of exorbitant increase for the second year in a row, our Regional rep. who is our Mayor, responded;

" Water is the best bargain we get for our taxes"

Frankly,I was stunned by that response. Since his knowledge of the system would still perforce be sparse and considerably less than my own,I had no idea and still do not know in what context the remark was intended.

What I do understand is my role to look out for the taxpayers'  best interest.Not the Region's.

If I find  the community is  not being served, it will be my intention to say so.

Loud and Clear.

International Water Association Water Audit Methodology notwithstanding. it is my judgment, we have no equity or discernible logic in the fair application of rates charged for metered water use in the Town of Aurora.