Meadow Lake proposes higher water and sewer rates for 2027

The city faces lower water revenue and potentially higher supply costs, pushing back its projected date for the utility to cover its costs to 2029 from 2026.

City treasurer Asma Qadri’s report says Meadow Lake stopped supplying water to Flying Dust First Nation on Sept. 21 following the development of the First Nation’s new water plant. The change means less water revenue for the city.

Meadow Lake also faces uncertainty over its own supply costs. SaskWater rates are to be renegotiated for 2027 onward, and the city’s projections assume annual increases of five per cent. Those increases are estimates rather than confirmed rates.

Under the draft bylaw, quarterly base charges would be $121.20 for water and $80.80 for full sewer service. Consumption charges would be $3.36 per cubic metre for water and $1.34 for sewer.

With the infrastructure levy included, an account paying the full sewer base charge would owe $227 per quarter before consumption charges.

The levy, introduced in 2023, is designated for replacing and upgrading water and sewer infrastructure.

Council began restructuring utility rates in 2015 with the goal of making the service self-funded rather than subsidizing it through property taxes.

Even with the proposed increases, the city’s spreadsheet projects a utility shortfall of about $407,200 in 2027. It forecasts the gap narrowing to roughly $207,900 in 2028 before reaching a small surplus in 2029, based on its assumptions about future rates, revenue and expenses.

The proposed rates are being incorporated into the city’s 2027 operating budget, scheduled to come before council in October.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by meadowlakeNOW staff

Meadow Lake proposes higher water and sewer rates for 2027

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