Payment Due: City's Utility Bills begin to arrive across Prince Rupert

For some Prince Rupert homeowners the wrap on the Family Day weekend brought a notice from the City of Prince Rupert, the missive making note that the time is here to pay up on your water, sewer and garbage obligations to your civic government.

The roll out for 2020 Utility bills began with Monday's mail delivery, with the city's financial department and City Council sending out their Family Day wishes with yet another increase to the bill paying for the year ahead.

The rate increases for each of the three services went into effect at of the start of the year; the approval for the rates having come back in December of 2016 when Council put in place the schedule for the current four year cycle of annual increases.

This years deadline for payment is March 31st, for those that pay their bills in that period there is an opportunity for a ten percent discount.

On average the increases for each look as follows:

Water      15 dollars plus
Sewer      14 dollars plus
Garbage  12 dollars plus

That makes for a total increase of roughly 40 dollars or more for residents, which keeps pace with the level of the increases found over the last four years.

You can track that rolling list of utility bill increases below:

2019 -- Your mail call this week brings a tax call from the City of Prince Rupert
2018 -- March 30th the deadline for payment, as utilities bills hit the mail for Prince Rupert Residents
2017 -- Payment's Due! As city's utility bills arrive with March deadline
2016 -- City's first wave of taxation collection now underway
2015 -- City Service and Utility bills begin to drop into home owners mailboxes

Should you have questions related to the 2020 Utilities taxes you can contact City Hall at 250-627-0964.

The Utilities notice is the first of two tax regimens that the City has in the community, the next tax notice that will arrive in your mailbox comes in the late Spring, when the City of Prince Rupert mails out their property tax notices for the year.

What level of increase, if any to be assessed, will be determined later this year as City Council begins its Budget Discussion consultation period.

For more items related to taxation in Prince Rupert see our archive page here.

A wider overview of municipal issues is available from our Council Discussion page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.