The Town of Newmarket is giving some property owners a break on stormwater charges — and will take another look at providing relief to others.
Council voted to direct staff to to reduce charges for properties greater than one acre that have large green spaces. Staff further said charges may also be reduced for smaller property onwers working to reduce stormwater runoff.
Councillor Bob Kwapis said he supports this charge reduction, but would like to see other residents able to be assessed for a charge break.
“Some people have permeable driveways. They go as far as having water gardens, runoff barrels. They’re very proud of the fact they’re minimizing stormwater,” he said. “As of this moment, there’s no mechanism for them to have their property assessed.”
Newmarket currently charges stormwater rates based on size and type of property, with open properties getting charged less and properties in denser areas getting charged more. These charges go to help fund the town’s stormwater runoff management, ensuring that stormwater does not impact water quality of lakes and rivers.
Those charges have risen in recent years, with the town deciding in 2023 to raise the average bill by $80 annually each year over the following three years to address a funding gap, with stormwater challenges increasing due to climate change.
The town intends to give a break to bigger properties with large green spaces, locking them in at 2023 levels for all of 2024, 2025 and 2026. This is to recognize how these larger properties produce less runoff.
Treasurer Andrea Tang said beyond that, staff plan to do a “holistic review” to see about further incentives for property owners to take steps to reduce stormwater runoff, which will be brought back to council in the future.
Mayor John Taylor said such a program could be costly and require staffing. But he said they could look at the cost implications after the staff review.
“They’re trying to adjust one very significant anomaly, freeze things for a year or so,” he said. “It’d be tricky just to implement one (program) and not have a full report.”
Kwapis said it is a program some residents would likely be willing to pay for.
“It gives them that option to say, ‘Here is my property. I’m very proud of the fact that I can make it very sustainable, and I would like to be recognized for that.’”