Taxpayers will have the chance to give their input on the newest addition to their utility bills.
Public consultation on the new storm water utility officially begins today, with background and technical information on storm water management, the city's infrastructure challenges and a survey are available on the city's website.
Operations staff presented the city's finance and audit committee with the consultation plan Monday afternoon.
Afternoon and evening public meetings are tentatively scheduled for Oct. 17 and there will be targeted meetings for those who own large parcels of land as well as those who currently receive permissive tax exemptions.
The consultation process will wrap up by Nov. 15, with a storm water utility bylaw scheduled to come before council by Dec. 16. The city will prepare the new billing software next year and the new utility will take effect Jan. 1, 2015.
A previous report to the finance and audit committee contained preliminary figures suggesting the average homeowner would pay a five-year average of about $85.
The new funding model is said to be more fair, as taxpayers are charged based on the amount of impervious surface area on their property (hard surfaces such as driveways or roofs) instead of their property's assessed value.
