Fees to flow in even without water/sewer connection in Kawartha Lakes

Excerpt from article by Bill Hodgins on My Kawartha

With municipal residential drinking water systems and six municipal wastewater systems throughout Kawartha Lakes, the city says the costs of operating, maintaining and improving these systems is a strain on all existing users. To help the systems become financially sustainable, council passed a bylaw back in 2005 requiring mandatory connection to municipal systems where accessible.

Then, five years ago, council backed a pilot project in Fenelon Falls to phase in the connection of properties before implementing the policy. At the time, there were about 160 properties within Kawartha Lakes that had access to municipal water and wastewater systems but were not yet connected to city systems. 

While council agreed to amend the 2014 bylaw, Fenelon Falls area Coun. Doug Elmslie is now asking that it be revisited again before the year is out. 

Elmslie said while he backed the Fenelon Falls pilot project, “I never really liked what we did with this whole thing, charging people for services they don’t get.” He said he realizes those affected will ultimately benefit from the municipal services, the requirements the city has implemented may not have been the best route to take.

“I’m not comfortable with this whole thing,” he said.

Even for those who have their systems fail and are forced to hook up, the costs can be as much as $50,000 or $60,000, particularly if it means having to extend services under the roadway. 

“I proposed this go back to staff for some work so that it comes back with us being responsible for bringing water and sewer to the property line if a person is required to hook up.”

A report on his request is expected to come back to council in the third quarter of the year.