Council has approved another increase for homeowners’ annual utility bill, the biggest increase in recent years.
The increase to the 2024 flat rate utility bill is $95, or 7.5 per cent, from $1,262 for a single-family home in 2023 to $1,357 next year.
The water component is up $25, while sewer is up $61 and solid waste by $9.
The utility increase is in addition to the 7.75 per cent property tax increase approved by council.
Water is purchased by Delta from Metro Vancouver’s Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD).
A staff report notes the city’s 2024 net water budget is $35.7 million, a 7.9 per cent increase over 2023, and bulk water purchases from GVWD account for approximately 6.6 per cent of Delta’s water budget. Delta’s 2024 cost for purchasing water from Metro Vancouver is estimated to increase by approximately $1.8 million, or 8.2 per cent.
The city’s 2024 net water operations budget and capital contribution, excluding Metro Vancouver, are expected to increase as well, by approximately $800,000, or 7.1 per cent, compared to 2023. The report notes it is mainly due to increases for contractual obligations, inflationary cost pressures and aging infrastructure renewal, as well as upgrades required to support future densification.
Meanwhile, Delta’s 2024 sewer utility budget is $22.4 million, a 14.3 per cent increase over 2023.
Delta’s regional sewer levy increase is approximately $2.2 million, or 21.8 per cent, an increase due to major waste water treatment plant upgrades planned for the region.
The city’s 2024 net sewer operations budget and capital contribution, excluding Metro Vancouver, is expected to increase by approximately $600,000, or 6.3 per cent, over 2023. The report notes that is also mainly due to increases for contractual cost, inflationary cost pressures and aging infrastructure renewal, as well as upgrades required to support future densification.
The net 2024 solid waste budget is to increase by approximately $400,000, from $7.4 million to $7.8 million, due to contractual increases for curbside collection of garbage, green waste and recycling and other net cost increases.
Delta’s utility bill had increased in 2019 by $30, then it went up to $40 for 2020, then $27 for 2021, followed by a $34 increase for 2022 and $71 for 2023.
