Hello Ward 8 Neighbours,
Decision on stormwater fee will not be made until June 2024, a decision Councillor Danko believes is too late as the city’s stormwater system faces a significant funding gap.
For more details, please continue reading below…
“I think the next term of council needs to make a decision as soon as possible,” Danko was quoted as saying on Monday.
“We’ve been talking about this this entire term — for four years — and then to put it off for another two years, in my mind, is not acceptable,” Danko added.
Dedicated stormwater programs charge fees to property owners according to the amount of hard surfaces, such as roofs and parking lots, that direct rain into sewers.
In Hamilton, council has debated such a program since 2009, but rejected the idea back in 2015, before reviving the concept in 2019.
Last December, Hamilton city council backed Councillor Danko’s motion to ask water department staff to recommend how to cover an estimated $14-million-a-year funding gap to maintain the city’s aging stormwater infrastructure.
Currently, the city’s stormwater budget is funded through combined wastewater/stormwater rates, which are based on potable water consumption.
But there’s “no relationship” between how much potable water a property uses and how much stormwater it sends into the system, a staff report notes.
Moreover, water consumption has declined since 2004, leading to a funding crunch, the report notes. Before 2004, the city mostly relied on the tax levy to fund its stormwater needs.
Climate change has walloped cities with more intense and frequent rain storms, which have increased pressure on local water systems, including in Hamilton, which has experienced neighbourhood flooding and bypasses of its water treatment plant.
Other municipalities, including Ottawa, Mississauga, London, Guelph and Newmarket, have shifted to dedicated stormwater rate programs.
On Monday, city staff described a phased approach to exploring the question that would see a consultant hired by October and the next council — fresh off the municipal election — determining “guiding principles” by January the Spec reports.
If council backs an alternative, the new program would be implemented by January 2026.