Windsor's mayor is directing city administration to analyze a change to the rate charged for stormwater management amid reports homeowners are seeing higher than expected bills.
Mayor Drew Dilkens has issued a directive under the Strong Mayor Powers that requests the administration report back to city council regarding the stormwater financing program with a detailed analysis of the impact on pre-existing residential ENWIN customers as a result of the separation of the wastewater and stormwater billings.
If the analysis demonstrates an outcome that is different from the plan that was approved, then options should be provided for consideration.
Ward 1 councillor Fred Francis agrees an examination is needed, as he's been getting calls and emails from people in his ward, including people on Malden Road and in the Ojibway area.
"Complaining about increased charges because they're on septic tanks and they're getting charged for storm sewer maintenance and they don't have storm sewers, and they're like, 'Why am I getting charged for something I don't have?'"
Under a new calculation launched Jan. 1, 2025, the new rate on a resident's ENWIN bill is based on the amount of impervious area on a property, not water consumption.
An impervious area is defined as an area that can't absorb water, such as parking lots or other paved areas.
The city says impervious surfaces contribute to more water runoff into the sewer and stormwater system, yet non-residential users currently pay a smaller contribution to the overall sewer surcharge revenue compared to residential properties.
Large commercial property owners, like malls, big box stores, and other properties with large paved areas, were expected to see bills substantially increase under the new system.
According to a report from the administration before the change was passed, it was estimated the average residential property owner would realize a savings of up to $73 on their overall wastewater and stormwater fees.
Francis says he's been getting a lot of feedback on the issue.
"Do we have to make any changes? Do we have to make any adjustments to the new process to ensure residential property owners are paying less instead of paying more? The last thing I want to do and the last thing anyone on city council wants to do is charge people more for their monthly water bills," he says.
Francis says if they have to make any changes or adjustments based on the feedback we're getting in from residential property owners, I think that would be a fair thing to do.
"I think that would be the common sense thing to do, and quite frankly, I think it would be the right thing to do," he says. "We just got to figure out what the complaints are. Which ones are warranted? What we can do as quickly as we can?"
The mayor's directive also calls for an analysis that includes the number of homeowners currently on septic systems for which no wastewater charge was previously charged and the total monthly stormwater revenue now being collected from these homeowners.