Bus riders, bereaved families, sports fans, family fireworks hit by fee hikes

Looking to add $188,500 to tax coffers, Sault Ste. Marie City Council voted Monday to increase many dozens of user fees, ranging from bus fares to the cost of attending sports events.

But fear not.

Shelley Schell, city treasurer and chief financial officer, says this is all just a way to keep your property taxes down.

"Increasingly, municipalities are looking at user fees to help offset the impact of municipal services on property taxes," Schell says in a report to Mayor Provenzano and city councillors.

"The rationale for user fees is that those who clearly benefit from the service should be the ones to pay for it."

"User fees are one of the few controllable sources of revenue that can reduce the reliance on property on property taxes," Schell wrote

Here are just some of the many fee increases taking effect Jan. 1 :

• cash transit fare - $2.95 (previously $2.90)
• senior monthly bus pass - $58.50 (previously $57)
• fire department approvals for consumer/family fireworks - $75 (previously no charge)
• fire department approvals for exhibition fireworks - $250 (previously no charge)
• fire department report requests - $100 (previously no charge)
• scuba air bottle refills at fire hall - $7.50 (up from $7.28)
• wedding ceremony and reception at Bondar Pavilion - $1,355.50 (up from $1,326.25)
• electrical surcharge for film productions using Bondar Pavilion - $100 a day (previously no charge)
• monthly slip rental at Bondar Pavilion - $23.80 (up from $23.32)
• sewer rodding during regular hours - $153.10 (up from $150)
• sewer rodding outside regular hours - $307.10 (up from $301)
• renting City Council chambers - $277 a day (up from $271)
• adult admission to high school hockey games at John Rhodes and McMeeken Centre - $4.20 (previously $4.10)
• student and senior admission to high school hockey games - $3.75 (previously $3.60)
• ice rental online bookings at John Rhodes and McMeeken Centre - $159 (previously  $155.60)
• child public swim admission - $3.25 (previously $3.17)
• downtown metered parking, Queenstown and City Centre - $1.40 an hour (previously $1.35)
• monthly pass for parking lots - $47 (previously $46)
• daily rate for parking lots - $5.30 (previously $5.20)
• adult cemetery single grave - $971 (previously $950)
• grave lot for children six to 10 years - $336 (previously $329)
• single-driveway culvert - $3,130 (previously $3,065)
• double-entrance driveway culvert - $5,220/driveway (previously $5,110)
• liquor licence application with all data provided by applicant - $104.58 (previously $104.06)
• liquor licence application with no data provided by applicant - $602.53 (previously no charge)

Also on Monday, City Council awarded a $303,305 contract to Avery Construction Ltd. to repair an 85-metre stretch of municipally-owned, large-diameter storm sewer that's causing sinkholes on private property between Canadian Tire and Group Health Centre.

Carlington Construction Inc. of Hamilton won a $346,996 contract for concrete repairs on the Wellington Street underpass. Carlington won't start work on the underpass until next year, but city staff insist it's safe for the time being.