The town hall in Rothesay, N.B., is seen in this file photo. (Wave News)
Some Rothesay apartment building owners are not happy with changes to the town’s water bylaw.
Apartment buildings using well water have to switch to the town’s water supply within three years.
Since 2004, all new apartments have been required to use town water, but older buildings were exempt.
Andrew Baskin, who owns two of those buildings, says he is facing thousands of dollars in hook-up fees.
“It’s $1,125 per apartment times 31, in my case, which is just under $35,000,” said Baskin.
There is also the cost of excavation to bring in the water lines, as well as repaving and re-landscaping.
Baskin said he likely have to raise his rents between 10 and 20 per cent to cover the added costs. He would like to see the town scrap the bylaw.
“The next best thing would be to hook us up for free, do all of our excavation and all of our plumbing for free, and then we’ll just pay the consumption on a quarterly or a monthly basis, however they do the billing,” he said.
Mayor Stands By Town’s Decision
The mayor of Rothesay does not believe apartment owners should pass the added costs along to tenants, calling it “disturbing.”
But Nancy Grant said she does not think the town can participate in paying for some of the expenses.
“I don’t think the town could do that,” Grant said. “The water system is expensive and the other things that come with the water system, the fire protection for example. These are costs that have to be paid for.”
Grant said there is no question apartment owners will face costs, but the town is giving them 10 years to pay back the hook-up fees.
She said the town is not trying to “fundraise” money as some have suggested — they are trying to protect public health and safety.
“The building owners do test periodically but the results are only as reliable as the last test,” Grant said. “The town operates a public water utility under very strict guidelines with continuous treatment and testing.”
Baskin also raised concerns about what he felt was a lack of communication from the town about the bylaw changes.
“They said that they posted on their website and on their Twitter and on Facebook, but with the algorithms of social media, you can’t guarantee that it’s going to go out to the people that it’s affected.”
Grant said council cannot repeal the bylaw, but they have asked staff for a report on what could be modified.
Follow
