Surrey city staff urging the Council to raise water, sewer, drainage, and solid waste utility rates in 2023.

Life will be getting yet more expensive for Surrey taxpayers if council on Jan. 30 approves city staff recommendations to raise water, sewer, drainage, and solid waste utility rates in 2023.

A corporate report authored by Surrey’s general manager of finance Kam Grewal and city manager Vincent Lalonde urges the city’s finance committee to approve the rate “adjustments” in preparation of Surrey’s 2023 Five-Year (2023-2027) Financial Plan.

“Self-funded programs, also known as utilities, follow the “user pay” approach that the City has applied consistently in the current and previous years’ budgets,” the report notes.

The report recommends a total increase of $13.54 per year for the average metered single-family dwelling that consumes 360 cubic metres of water per year; and $75.20 per year for an average business that consumes 2,000 cubic metres of water per year, and also recommends that a $6 and $12 increase to the water meter base charge for the average residential and commercial properties be applied.

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