Homeowners expected to pay more for garbage pickup, water

Calgary homeowners can expect to hand over a little more cash to city hall in the new year.

On Wednesday, city aldermen on the utilities and environment committee approved a $4 monthly fee for garbage pickup that will be implemented in 2009. That's on top of the new $8-a-month fee for curbside recycling service, which will start in the spring.

The committee also approved higher dumping fees. The basic fee would increase $10 per metric ton in each of the next three years to $95 dollars in 2011.

The aldermen also approved an increase in water, sewer and storm drain rates.

For the average homeowner on a water metre using 25 cubic metres of water a month, the increases will mean today's $70-a-month bill will climb to about $77 in 2009, $83 in 2010 and almost $90 in 2011.

The fees are expected to easily pass through city council's special budget meetings in November.

A spokesperson for the waste department said that while garbage fees will not solve their money shortage problem, it will help considerably.

Sewer rates, storm drain surcharge to also increase

Ald. Brian Pincott said he doesn't support the idea of a blanket fee for garbage pickup.

"I'm challenged by a $4 user fee that isn't linked to usage. I mean, the user fee is the same whether you put out one bag or 15 bags," he said.

Pincott eventually supported the increase after a promise his concerns would eventually be addressed.

Water rates will also jump by nearly 23 per cent, sewer rates by more than 25 per cent and the storm drain surcharge by 15 percent — all spread over three years.

Calgary has spent millions of borrowed dollars on upgrading existing water treatment plants and building new ones, said Ald. Bob Hawkesworth.

"You got to pay for it. If anybody thought when they approved these projects and plants that we were somehow going to be able to avoid rate increases, they should not have voted for them."