The discounted water and sewer rate for Dawson seniors represents a significant saving within the context of a very expensive system for our delivery of residential potable water and subsequent waste carried away to the screening plant. Where it not for this long standing discount, seniors would face a yearly cost of approximately $1200 after the residency deduction from a base amount of $1700.
On January 26, 2011 Town Council will debate first reading of an amendment to the water and sewer bylaw which removes this discount for year round residents as well as taking away relief for seniors.
In the meantime all ratepayers must cough up the full un-discounted amount pending the bylaw review, in direct contradiction to active bylaws, as if only the formality of subsequent readings stood in the way of making the new regime a done deal.
What can you say about a municipal government that appears not respect our own bylaws? If you can simply cherry pick through the rules for the desired objective then why bother with bylaws in the first place, simply make adjustments as you go.
At least one town councillor has borrowed a page from the right wing manifesto of the American Tea Party with the position that discounted water and sewer rates constitute a subsidy and therefore should be removed forcing all citizens to bear the “true” cost of delivering this service to our citizens, seniors not withstanding.
He could stand the reminder that the entire Yukon exists in its current form only because of a massive yearly subsidy from Ottawa. Escaping the stigma of kneeling before the feeding trough might prove difficult for all of us.
Before his Palinesque diatribe against “subsidies” gets out of hand let’s look at some comparisons. Whitehorse homeowners pay approximately $400 -$500 per year for water and sewer, Mayo residents shell out $300 per year whereas Dawson residents pay $1,250 per year including the discount and $1700 as an absentee home owner. Do you see a lack of fairness here?
On advice given by Senior Financial Officer Joanne Van Nostrand that because the current provisional budget reflects a new – as of yet un-adopted – water and sewer bylaw (11-01) removing all grants and discounts, everyone must pay their bill as if no discounts exist in advance of this bylaw actually coming into effect.
This policy clearly contradicts the Municipal Act.
Not that I’m happy about the reduction, but we’ve been chipping away at the W/S subsidies for years and some of that chipping happened during your administration as well. That said, I was surprised to read that the seniors’ grant was also affected when I saw the proposed bylaw. That was NOT part of the discussion I heard on this matter at the last council meeting. This has somehow evolved from a discussion that was about getting out of the water delivery business for people who are not on the W/S system and having those people make their own arrangements with the private sector.
True, the theme has been to gradually ween everyone on delivery off the subsidy, in part because the city didn’t want to be in the water delivery business and allow dome residents the freedom to arrange for their own delivery as is their eduction arrangement.
Although in retrospect perhaps this should be revisited.
The galling thing about this latest nonsense is the wholesale and sudden removal of both the senior discount and residency discount. And the Dawson grant is on the chopping block as well.
To rub salt into the wound, a provisional budget was accepted with the assumption that all of the above will be in place in time for the next billing cycle.
Outrageous to be sure.
There wasn’t a quorum last Wednesday so there’s a noon meeting this coming Wednesday.
I’ve had some people asking if it’s even legal to send out the bills in that manner before the bylaw is passed. Which takes precedence, a draft bylaw or a provisional budget?
Yes, when I spoke to the Senior Financial Officer on the phone looking for clarification she told me that there was a public meeting last Wednesday and that the voice of the people had been heard regarding this issue.
She also said that the provisional budget was out of sync with the water and sewer bylaw thereby justifying the amendment to take away the discount for seniors as well as the one for year round residents.
Unbelievable!
For one thing, first reading of this preposterous amendment was not adequately advertised and secondly the so called council meeting went ahead with the knowledge that only one councillor will be present and the other on the phone.
My fear is that they will use this half-baked meeting to say that a public hearing was held, despite the fact that most of council wasn’t there to hear it.
I agree the approach the City of Dawson is taking to change the W&S bylaw is underhanded. What happen to transparency? Sure remove the subsidy if need be but lower the rates to reflect the actual $1025/year as well. ($100 of the $1700 is a waste management fee) why is administration piece mealing this bylaw thru Council. First let’s change the due dates, now lets take subsidy away, oh next lets raise the rates. The rates for residents are overstated and should be addressed the same time as the subsidy removal to be fair to the residents who live here. The website is there to keep the community informed on City business, but there is nothing current on the website to say “what” changes are made or proposed to change in bylaws before Council
I also hear that if you don’t pay the full amount the City plans on charging you the 10% penalty as well.
What other services are being chipped away???
Two things come to mind; a reduction in solid waste collection services around town where some alleyways (including mine) will no longer be on the collection route.
Another is the ability to pay taxes and other fees with a credit card, a benefit to those that collect points and air miles.