Dear Editor:
Re: Charges Don’t Add Up, Dec. 30 Mailbox.
Mr. (Doug) Kay’s letter gives me an opportunity to clarify my comments regarding increases to the water and sewer utility rates approved by West Vancouver council at the Dec. 5 meeting. With the approved 5.5 per cent increase, the median single-family household can expect to pay $619 in water utility fees in 2017. From a value proposition, I pointed out that this represents approximately $1.70 per day ($619/365) “to turn on your tap.”
Similarly, with the approved 10 per cent increase, the median single-family household can expect to pay $945 in sewer utility fees in 2017. This represents approximately $2.60 per day ($945/365) “to flush your toilet.” I made no assumptions about the number of times residents flush their toilets per day, but as a household’s sewer fees are calculated in part using data from a household’s water meter, there are opportunities to reduce both fees by conserving water, including flushing less often. I thank Mr. Kay for his question.
Mary-Ann Booth
Councillor, District of West Vancouver
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