“We’re saving on pipes, we’re saving on roads, we’re saving on ongoing operating costs.”
– Edmonton Metropolitan Region Growth Plan
Where are all these savings that the Edmonton Metropolitan Growth Plan is talking about? St. Albert residents certainly don’t seem to be benefitting from them. Taxes go up, utility rates go up, both in excess of the rate of inflation.
And now the City of St. Albert is talking about a huge increase in the storm water levy. But why should a storm water levy even exist? Storm water doesn’t come from either residential or commercial properties; it comes from the heavens. It may pass over our respective properties but we have little or no control over the rate or volume of runoff.
Water and sanitary sewer services and roads are directly related to our properties but why should we be responsible for those pennies from heaven that we have absolutely no control over?
Over the past twenty years St. Albert taxpayers have seen many former utility expenses that came out of general revenue and were paid for through municipal taxation shift from the tax base to direct utility charges, while at the same time municipal taxes continue to increase often at alarming rates.
This shift from taxation to utility charges is a way of hoodwinking electors into believing that city council is holding the line on tax increases but not realizing that the burden is just shifted to the utility bill.
By increasing densities as mandated by the Capital Region Board we find an increase in runoff whereas with the former larger lots and more landscaping rainwater was absorbed into lawns and gardens. Higher densification and in particular paved driveways and parking lots increase both volume and quantity of runoff, further taxing the storm sewer system. These costs should not be born by the property owner but should be moved back to the general tax base. I would argue that they are an illegitimate charge against real property.
As senior business analyst Stephen Graham says with regard to the rate review: “Both of these approaches are flawed.”
I fully agree. The whole system is flawed. City council should not consider just moving from the existing flat rate model of storm sewer levies to a proportional model. They should scrap the levy entirely, absorbing the capital and operational costs of the storm sewer system into general operational expenses.
Ken Allred is a former St. Albert alderman and MLA.
