St. Marys council approves water-leak forgiveness program

By Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

St. Marys council has approved a policy that could help residents cover the costs of unexpectedly high water bills resulting from a leak.

At the Oct. 14 St. Marys council meeting, councillors voted to approve a water-leak forgiveness policy aimed at offering financial support for those who incur excess water and wastewater charges of at least $250, with funding of 50 per cent of the excess water charges available up to a maximum of $1,000.

“This report is a report back to council from (a strategic priorities committee meeting) earlier this year where we had discussed general policy framework for a water-leak forgiveness program that would provide some level of financial consideration or compensation to residents when they experience that unforeseen or unanticipated large water bill that can come from a water leak,” said St. Marys environmental services manager Dave Blake.

“At that time … we looked at a bunch of program-eligibility requirements, program-ineligibility requirements and kind of some thresholds for minimum bills, maximum bills, so on and so forth, and how all that could formulate into a policy that would work for St. Marys. … We’ve taken that feedback away and, since that time, we’ve researched similar programs that other municipalities offer to their residents and then drafted the policy that’s presented tonight.”

According to the policy document, the purpose of the policy is to provide limited financial relief to eligible customers to address abnormally high water and wastewater bills associated with accidental plumbing failures. By offering a structured framework for adjustments to water bills, the policy aims to mitigate the financial burden caused by such incidents while upholding the accuracy and transparency of billing practices to maintain trust in the systems serving the community.

Financial relief will be issued only after all leaks have been repaired and verified by a water-meter read conducted by the town or a water-billing contractor. Reasonable efforts, including hiring a plumber, to locate the leak and initiate repairs must be taken by or on behalf of the customer within seven days after receiving the water bill indicating the leak or through initial notification of increased water usage provided to the customer by the billing contractor.

The customer must fill out a water leak forgiveness form and provide documentation of repairs made prior to being approved for a reimbursement within 120 calendar days after the date of final repairs. There is no extension of the due date for paying water and wastewater bills because of a pending request through this program. Customers should pay the entire amount due within the normal payment period or arrange a payment arrangement with the billing contractor for the excessive amount to remain in good standing on all current bills. Reimbursements will only occur when a leak forgiveness request is granted and they will be issued as a credit to the account in question.

According to the program eligibility requirements, the plumbing failure and leak must have occurred and been repaired within the last 90 days; applicants have to demonstrate their water usage has decreased after repairs were made; the property where the leak occurred must be a residential dwelling or a not-for-profit property; and the applicant must not have received reimbursement through the water-leak forgiveness program within the last five years. Water leaks in vacant or unattended properties and those caused by outdoor usage, neglect or unexplained damage are disqualified from this program, as are leaks where costs are covered by a third party (i.e. insurance or another reimbursement program).

“The program would operate basically as a budget line item from the water system accounts,” Blake said in response to a question from Mayor Al Strathdee about how the program will be funded. “Every year, we generate a reserve contribution that goes into the reserve for the water system. This would show up as a budget line item under the operations and maintenance budget that would be utilized as requests come in throughout the year.

“So basically, if it went over-budget or under-budget, it just impacts the transfer to reserve at the end of the year. Instead of having a stand-alone reserve account for water leaks that is collected specifically for that, it just operates out of the general reserve for the water system.”

In response to question about customer notification from Coun. Fern Pridham, Blake said Festival Hydro works to notify customers as soon as possible when increased water usage is identified and, if customers cannot be contacted, will work with the town to deliver a notice to their home or property.