A proposed Development Cost Charges Bylaw based on a consultant’s report will go before the public at a meeting on July 5, 2012.
Council has been considering various options as to the fee structures for road and wastewater DCCs.
At the June 11 meeting, council requested that the wastewater DCC program remain the same while the road DCCs be increased. The consultant had advised that the wastewater program should be updates as new development is proposed and money should continue to be deposited in the sewer fund to pay for enhancements.
Councillor Rick Kasper said it was important to separate the two DCC functions. He said they had to rethink the capital plan which would influence the fees being charged.
Kasper stated that there was absolutely no mechanism in place to collect those monies from the taxpayer side for these (wastewater) capital projects. He said a solid financial plan was required. He was concerned with some of the capital projects in the wastewater plan.
Kasper made a motion to amend Bylaw 202 to establish a new DCC bylaw for roads with a new 10-year capital plan and new DCC fee structure.
“It is foolhardy to go marching down saying what we do for the next 10 years when we don’t have the money,” said Kasper.
Mayor Wendal Milne said this would break the current bylaw into two separate bylaws. The wastewater portion would be the same as the old bylaw but the projects would be reduced and the recoverable DCC would be reduced as well.
There was some discussion on whether the bylaw could be split. It was questioned whether the province would allow the requested amendments.
Kasper stated later that he heard from someone at the provincial level and they saw no problem with how the district distributed development cost charges.