Windsor to credit 37K customers overcharged under new stormwater bill

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Since the city’s stormwater charges plan changed in January, the mayor of Windsor apologized to about 37,000 residents and has promised to issue points to them.

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Drew Dilkens confirmed Thursday that many residents who were supposed to pay under the new billing system have been paying more since the beginning of the year.

“I’m sorry we didn’t kick it out of the door immediately,” Dilkens said at a media event.

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“I think it’s nice to say none of us. I’m not happy. No one on the city council is happy. The government is not happy with the way it is.”

After receiving complaints from the owner of the property who has erupted and checked his own Nwin bill on residents, churches, cemeteries and other bills, Dilkens issued a mayoral directive last month asking employees to analyze how bill changes affect customers.

Dilkens said the analysis showed that “the plan did not follow the promise.”

“It’s about ensuring that people pay a fair share – which leads to difficulties for residents when affordability is a central issue in the community.

“The promise I’ve been making completely behind me with the City Council is that the Winsors bill will be reduced. That’s how it should be, and that’s always the goal.”

There is a complex “technical explanation” about the bills going wrong, but Refuse to share details or Assign blame. He said a report to the city council on April 28 will provide more details on the issue and propose solutions.

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“There are technical issues in it. I think it’s possible to say we’ve understood what these issues are,” Dilkens said. “We understand how to correct IT systems” so that the city can correctly reliably on Enwin customers.

He said giving credit to clients does not pay taxpayers’ fees.

“It’s making money that we’ve collected to make sure we’re making our commitment.”

On April 28, Dilkens will ask the Council to approve a “reset” plan that includes: credit for residential wastewater customers who have increased their monthly bills due to lower water use; phased billing for residential customers with septic systems that currently use wastewater; reduced annual charges for cemeteries, churches and other designated places of worship; and one-time transitional credit for all non-residential and commercial owners.

Changes implemented on January 1 have divided the sewer surcharge in Windsor into two expenses: wastewater and stormwater. The cost of storm water is based on a square meter impermeable surface at a given location, which means preventing or hindering the natural seepage of groundwater into hard covered areas or compacting the ground. That water eventually entered the city’s sewer system.

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Impermeable surfaces include buildings, driveways, roofs, sidewalks, parking lots and gravel.

The city used aerial images to calculate the coverage of each plot and location in Windsor.

The board was told that the change would see big stores with large roofs, large parking lots, and low water to pay more for rainwater. Most homeowners, manufacturers and institutions that use higher water use and more impermeable water use are expected to pay less.

The collected stormwater fee will be used to enhance Windsor’s stormwater sewer system.

Also on Thursday, Dilkens and Ward 6 Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac shares the latest news on the city’s St. Rose stormwater pump station project. Located in St. Rose Beach Park in East Windsor, the $22 million pumping station protects the area, including more than 1,100 residential and commercial properties, from flooding.

For residents who flooded houses in the 2016 and 2017 storms, Ginniak said: “It changed life.”

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“Using the lower floors, some people (their houses) built on grades, losing the first floor. All the property disappeared.

“We said at the time that we will fight for you to get this natural disaster out of this natural disaster.”

Extreme flooding events prompted the city to create its $5 billion, more than 50-year stormwater master plan in 2020 to help the city understand the causes of local flooding, evaluate solutions and carry out cost estimates for drainage improvements.

To date, New York City has completed eight major infrastructure projects designed to prevent floods. include

Six other projects ongoing, including the new Saint Rose pump station and the $26 million Saint Paul pump station upgrade.

tcampbell@postmedia.com

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