Water rates are set by the RDNO Board of Directors, which includes political representatives from the municipalities they serve. Rates are based on the actual cost to provide water. GEW does not receive any taxation money and the only outside source of income are grant funds that the utility seeks out to assist in reducing costs to customers.
Properties within the GEW system are invoiced a Parcel Fee and Infrastructure Base Fee annually. Properties within the debt service area are charged annually to service the long term debt. This debt is set to mature in April of 2024. Properties are billed in June annually. The City of Enderby invoices for water consumption separately based on their own schedule and their own Fees & Charges Bylaw. A discount of 10% will be applied to the RDNO account if paid on or before the due date.
The water rates for the GEW system can be found on Schedule B of the Small Utilities Rates and Regulations Bylaw.
As a regional utility, GEW legally cannot make a profit on services. A deficit is also not allowed and each year’s annual expenses (see example list below) must be recovered directly from user fees during that year or be funded from reserves.
Expected annual expenses
- Operations
- Maintenance
- debt payments
- construction, and
- reserve contributions
All parcels with a service connection pay an Infrastructure Base Fee independent of whether the parcel is connected to the water utility or not.
A consumption fee is charged for water consumption for each residential unit and/or commercial unit (in addition to the Infrastructure Base Fee). Once a property has been connected to the water utility infrastructure, the consumption fee will always be charged to that property. It will not be adjusted seasonally.
How do I change my mailing address?
Notify BC Assessment directly to change your mailing address so that future utility bills, property tax notices and BC Assessment notices are mailed to your new address.
The RDNO receives weekly notification of address changes. BC Assessment Change of Address Notification can be completed the following ways:
You will need your property roll number and assessment and jurisdiction area numbers in order to make the address change.
What if property ownership changes?
Utility invoices follow the property, not the owner. The RDNO does not get final meter reads (if a meter is installed) or create final bills when a property changes hands. The law firm or notary that is conveying the sale must contact the RDNO Finance department for an estimate of the amount owing and adjust for this amount on your statement of adjustments.
Note that the charges remain with the property when it is transferred and the new owner becomes responsible for these payments. The RDNO cannot make adjustments between owners if the actual amount of the final bill is different from the estimate.
I just bought a property in the Regional District and the first utility bill I received shows arrears from before I bought the property. Who is responsible for paying these arrears?
It is the responsibility of the lawyer or notary handling the transfer of ownership to ensure that a search is done through the RDNO to determine if there are any outstanding utility charges on a property and include those charges on the statement of adjustments. This is required to be sure that there are no outstanding debts or encumbrances attached to the property upon transfer of ownership.
