Newmarket resident Joe Piech got an unpleasant surprise when he opened up his water bill this month.
Like many throughout Newmarket, he saw an insert from the Town of Newmarket discussing an increase in his stormwater charge. Accompanying that was a new line item that would account for the monthly charge for the next 10 months: $19.19.
This year, he will pay $191.90 in stormwater charges after paying $59 in total in 2023 in four instalments. That huge increase is happening due to infrastructure costs, the town said.
“I don’t think it justified a 230 per cent increase in my rain tax from last year,” Piech said. “I got quite concerned.”
Some Newmarket residents are expressing concern after getting their first taste of increased stormwater charges this month. Residents can expect that to continue in the days ahead.
During council budget deliberations in 2023, municipal staff identified a gap in funding for stormwater infrastructure needed to maintain the system due to inflation and rising water costs from the region. While staff proposed a $25-million transfer from reserves or a long-term phase-in for a rate increase, council opted to go with a three-year phased stormwater rate increase to keep reserves healthy and address the gap faster.
“It won’t be a popular increase,” Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said last October but added that “the other thing that won't be popular .... (is) an entire street and every basement in a street under water. ... looking at communities around us, we’re seeing that in places. We’re in a tough spot.”
The decision means that stormwater increases will continue, starting this year and expected for the next two years after this. During budget deliberations, the increase was estimated at $80 annually.
Laurence Serchuk is another Newmarket resident upset by a sudden spike in stormwater charges.
“I really had no idea,” Serchuk said after discovering they would be charged $37.34 per month for the next 10 months. “It’s not going to really make or break my quality of life. It’s just I find it to be a bit of a piss-off.”
Corporate services commissioner Esther Armchuk said climate change is bringing more pressure to the municipal stormwater infrastructure.
"As a result, it is integral that the town continues to invest in its stormwater infrastructure to prevent flooding in neighbourhoods and in residents' homes, while protecting our environment and downstream neighbours from the negative effects of stormwater runoff," she said.
That critical infrastructure was underfunded in the past, Armchuk said, requiring more funding to catch up. The charge is based on property size and for most in the "medium run-off level" size, it will be $18.04 per instalment over 10 instalments, for a total of $180.37.
"The town continues to monitor and review our stormwater infrastructure in line with our asset management plans which estimates its condition and useful life to determine the amount of funding needed keep it in good condition," Armchuk said.
Still, Piech said it feels like an extreme jump for one year.
“I worry about a tax that can be so easily increased without people noticing,” he said. “My concern is it could rise very quickly.”
