Residents in parts of Portage la Prairie recently received delayed water bills for an eight-month period, and some took to social media to express surprise at the amounts. Others had no issue.

Portage la Prairie city staff have been trying to rectify water billing issues since October 2016, when inaccuracies in charges were discovered tied to communication problems between the new meter readers and billing software.

Residents in Area 2, those living north of Saskatchewan Avenue but south of the railway tracks, recently had bills issued covering a period from May 2016 to January 2017. City administrators say staff are working on generating delayed Area 1 — south of Saskatchewan Avenue — and Area 3 — north of the railway tracks — bills next.

Much confusion has accompanied water billing since the changeover to new meters took place. Some questions asked frequently by local social media users: Why is my bill so high? Are rates higher? I haven't received a bill yet, will it be large?

Waterworks committee chair and city councillor Wayne Wall spoke with Portage Online News to clarify some of the confusion tied to the delayed water billing cycle and rates.

RATES EXPLAINED

The city of Portage la Prairie's water rates are on the rise. The 2016 quarterly water rate was $5.58 per 1,000 gallons for most basic consumers (50,000 gallons or less). The 2017 rate is 2.95 per cent higher, at $5.75 per 1,000 gallons and will go up another 3.05 per cent in 2018 to $5.92 per 1,000 gallons.

Sewer rates are also heading up. The 2016 rate was $8.42 per 1000 gallons. The 2017 rate is $8.67 per 1,000 gallons, a 3.06 per cent hike. In 2018, it will rise another 2.97 per cent to $8.93 per 1,000 gallons.

The delayed bills for Area 2 issued, although covering parts of 2017, are charged only using the 2016 rate, Wall explains. Area 1 and Area 3 bills will be charged at a combined rate of 2016 and 2017.

Pro-rated annual fixed rate charges for solid waste and recyclables also appear on a standard quarterly utility bill. The annual fee for recyclables is $25 and for solid waste it's $75.

MORE ACCURATE METERS

The new digital frequency water meter readers provide highly accurate measurements compared to the old meters replaced. More accurate measurements, in most cases, means slightly higher water charges.

“It's one reason they could increase,” Wall says. “The old meters, as they wore out, they wore out in the customers' favour. The city was actually losing revenue on a lot of those old meters.”

“Now you'll notice with a new meter your bill will be slightly higher. But, in most cases, it's not a huge amount.”

LONG BILLING PERIOD

The main reason some Area 2 bills have been higher than expected for some, Wall says, is simply due to the fact it covers an eight-month period. A standard quarterly water bill covers a three-month span. The delayed Area 1 and 3 bills due to be issued next will also cover a longer period of time than a standard quarter, and therefore be higher.

“Some people as we had requested had been going in and making quarterly payments,” says Wall. “So they're not getting any big surprises.”

MORE INFORMATION

You can see more details including an explanation of how to understand new bills on the city's website.

*Note: This story was updated to clarify: Delayed Area 2 bills were not charged at the 2017 water rate, but Area 1 and Area 3 bills will be charged using a combined rate of 2016 and 2017.