City council has endorsed a new structure for stormwater user fees that will shift how residents and businesses are charged for stormwater management, moving away from property assessment values and toward a model based on housing type, size and measured runoff impact.
Under the approved direction, single detached homes — which make up roughly 80 per cent of properties in the city — are expected to pay less than they would under the current interim fee model, according to staff projections.
The overall cost of stormwater management will remain unchanged for taxpayers. The city currently funds the program through a mix of the stormwater utility fee, sewer surcharge, capital levy and general tax levy, costs that are already embedded in the municipal budget. The change focuses solely on how those costs are allocated across properties.
The current interim fee, introduced after council approved the transition to a dedicated stormwater user fee in January 2025, is based on assessed property value. That approach was intended as a short-term measure but has been criticized internally for not accurately reflecting how much stormwater runoff different properties generate.
The new model replaces that system with one that better aligns fees with actual impact. Residential properties will be charged based on housing type and size, while non-residential properties will be billed according to measured impervious area — such as rooftops, parking lots and other hard surfaces that prevent water absorption.
City staff said the updated approach provides a more accurate and equitable link between a property’s contribution to stormwater runoff and the amount it pays toward managing it. The city’s review of funding options concluded the proposed structure offers the strongest connection between usage and cost recovery.
Council was told that in 2025, total stormwater-related funding was approximately $9.3 million, rising to about $10.4 million in 2026 as system demands and costs increase.
Staff will return to council with the necessary implementing bylaw and are expected to bring forward additional analysis during the 2027 budget review. That report will include options for further consolidating stormwater funding into the dedicated utility.
The shift to a user-fee model reflects a broader municipal trend toward utilities that charge based on service demand rather than property value, though officials emphasized the overall revenue requirement for stormwater management is not increasing as part of the change.
