As residents brace for the coming utility rates increases which kick in after the new year, the City of St. Albert announced what appears to be an early Christmas present for households that will be most affected.
Those new rates, which include the supplemental capital contribution fee, will equate to an increase of $300 per year to the average home.
While many families in the city benefiting from the reported average family income of more than $130,000 per year might not feel the hit, some families, particularly those earning $50,000 or less might be a little stressed out this Christmas.
However, It is difficult to fathom how $200,000 – the amount council set aside from the Council Stabilization Fund – will come close to addressing the issue.
According to the latest city census there are 21,954 homes in St. Albert. If the subsidy was universal it would amount to under $10 per home. If the income threshold was set at $50,000 – approximately 3,070 households – it would equate to a mere $65, less than a one-quarter of the increase.
The increase in rates is not a small amount of money for some families and while it is good to see council considering ways to help, such a pittance in funding seems more political than it does legitimate help.
