It’s official: Flin Flon utility bills are rising 30 per cent effective next month.
The rate hike cleared its final hurdle Tuesday when city council, armed with the regulatory approval, approved final reading of the necessary bylaw.
The increase sailed through unanimously, though Coun. Skip Martin was absent.
Effective Oct. 1, the boost will see Flin Flonners who do not have water meters – the vast majority of residents – pay an additional $258 a year.
For residents with water meters, rates will go up 30 per cent across all meter sizes and consumption categories.
Council has also approved initial reading of a motion to raise rates for Channing and Wally Heights residents, who are not connected to the city water grid, by $258 a year. Final reading is expected to pass shortly.
The city has said the increases are necessary to cover operating costs at the water treatment plant, which is in its first full calendar year of service.
Manitoba’s Public Utilities Board (PUB) recently sanctioned the increase, declaring the rates ex parte, meaning they are to be reviewed following a more complete process.
“The Board makes this interim rate decision due to the urgent need to increase rates to avoid future deficits [within the city’s utility system],” read a 10-page PUB ruling.
