Wednesday, December 7, 2016

December 5th, 2016 Council Meeting Notes: Water and sewer rate changes in 2017, plus housekeeping items

Yesterday, I posted about a townhouse project that is being proposed along 198th Street near 55th Avenue. Today, I will be focusing on bylaws and reports that were on the agenda at Monday night’s council meeting.

Two of the bylaws that were given first, second, and third reading addressed utility rates for 2017. Metro Vancouver is increasing the rate it charges the City of Langley for water and sewer services. Because of this increase, the City is proposing to adjust the rates it charges for water and sewer services.

For water services, the $50 flat fee remains unchanged while the consumption-based charge will increase to $1.17 per cubic meter. For the average single-family home, this will work out to about a $3.30 increase. For the average strata home, this will work out to about a $1.90 increase over what was paid in 2016.

For sewer services, the $50 flat fee remains unchanged while the usage charge will increase to $1.06 per cubic meter. The increase will also allow the City to be able to fund the replacement of aging sewer infrastructure. For the average single-family home, this will work out to a $21.12 increase. For the average strata home, this will work out to about a $12.16 increase over what was paid in 2016.

An update to the Municipal Ticking Information System bylaw was also giving first, second, and third reading. The is a housekeeping item with the biggest change being the addition of a schedule of fines from our Waterworks Regulation Bylaw.

The City of Langley recently completed an Environmentally Sensitive Areas Mapping Study. The results of the study are proposed to be incorporated into our Official Community Plan. To update the Official Community Plan, consultation with the community is required. Consultation was an important part of the process of creating the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Mapping Study, and a public hearing on updating the Official Community Plan will be schedule near the end of January. At Monday’s meeting, council approved the process to update the Official Community Plan.

The City of Langley is planning to upgrade the underground and above-ground infrastructure along a section of Douglas Crescent. While council already authorized the City to seek federal funding for this project, there was additional work which needed to be included in the project which required a re-authorization by council to seek increased federal funding. Council approved the request.

Council also approved our Director of Development Services & Economic Development to attend the APA 2017 National Planning Conference which is budgeted.

Council approved the Council Meeting schedule for 2017 which will be posted online soon.

Tomorrow, I will cover the remaining items that were on the agenda.

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