Neighbourhood raises a stink about sewer fees

The people of Queen Street West between Hudson and George are raising a stink about sewer upgrade costs.

Last night, they told Council they didn't want to pay for upgrades to services and would launch an appeal with the Ontario Municipal Board if the City imposed any of the project costs on neighbourhood property owners.

"If that doesn't work in our favour," said Lorena Tridico, whose family owns property in the affected area, "we are considering launching a class-action lawsuit against the City."

Rather than accept City Solicitor Lorie Bottos's report on the issue as information and proceed with the work, Council decided to defer the issue to its September 26 meeting.

At last night's meeting, Bottos cited past cases in which property owners were charged part of the cost of local upgrades.

"It has been customary to do this in the past, even in Class A truck routes," the lawyer told Council.

Bottos suggested that area property owners shoulder 15 percent of the cost of improving sanitary sewers and private connections.

Bottos's report to Council suggests that property owners pay a total of $15,470, referred to as 'special assessments' for the $253,000 project.

"The special assessments can be paid for in one payment, or in the alternative by ten annual installments," he said.

Tridico appeared before Council and with neighbour Monika Erb to relay concerns of people in the area.

"With Class A Truck routes, the city is 100 percent responsible to pay for any upgrades to the road," said Tridico. "We didn't want the truck route to begin with."

According to Bottos, this issue first came to light when crews started digging up the road to fix the sewers back in November 2004.

When she got wind of the costs they would be expected to carry, Tridico and company obtained signatures from all the property owners in the affected area to stop the construction. The petition caused the work to be stopped and area property owners breathed a sigh of relief believing the issue was buried.

But the City proposed the work again and didn't tell anyone in the neighbourhood about it.

Tridico said that neighbourhood residents and business people are tired of having decisions by City Council imposed on them, and of not being informed about things that she says will greatly affect their daily lives, and will fight this all the way.

She said this sewer upgrade would represent a few thousand dollars for her family but, "it's not the principle of the money," said Tridico.

She said the people of the neighbourhood are upset that they were never officially informed about this issue being on Council's agenda for last night's meeting or about the legal differences between Class A and Class B truck routes.

"The only way I found out was when someone I know from here called me at 7:30 this morning to see if I knew about it," said Tridico.

She and Erb informed a few of the residents, landlords and business operators from the neighbourhood in the few hours they had to prepare for last night's meeting and about half a dozen came out to show support.

In an interview after the meeting, City Solicitor Bottos told SooToday.com that the City was not legally obligated to inform property owners of that area that Council would be talking about charging them for sewer upgrades last night.

During the meeting, Acting Mayor Steve Butland told those attending from the neighbourhood that he, Council and staff at the Clerk's Office were very sorry that the property owners were not informed.