By Chad Klassen

Kamloops utility rates on the rise, not water

Dec 1, 2015 | 11:10 AM

KAMLOOPS — Residents in Kamloops are in for a pair of increases the next time they pay their utility bills. Today, city staff unveiled utility rate increases for both sewer and recycling services. 

Sewer rates, after remaining status quo in 2015, will increase next year by $2.71 per household. Public Works and Utilities Manager Jen Fretz says that’s in part due to growing capital costs, including at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The most significant increase in 2016 is curbside recycling. Fees will jump $17 per household in 2016, largely due to a new two-year contract with recycling contractor Emterra Environmental starting in the new year. That’ll bring recycling costs to $50 dollars a year. 

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But there is good news for taxpayers in 2016. There will be no water utility rate hike, the fourth straight year it hasn’t gone up, with overall consumption dropping steadily across the city.

The reduction in water consumption comes with cost savings in the short term. the city says it’s now able to delay infrastructure upgrades it would’ve otherwise needed to do in the next five years, including the Kamloops Centre for Water Quality.