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Bylaw: 01-2024
Natural Gas Rates Bylaw
BEING A BYLAW OF THORHILD COUNTY IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA TO
AUTHORIZE THE COUNCIL TO SET RA TES CHARGED TO THE PUBLIC FOR
NATURAL GAS SUPPLIED BY THE MUNICIPALITY.
WHEREAS the Municipal Government Act, Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000 Chapter M-
26, and amendments thereof authorize the Council to repeal and amend any bylaw. All
resolutions, bylaws and orders pertaining to natural gas rates, or collection thereof, prior to
this bylaw being hereby repealed and rescinding.
WHEREAS the Council of Thorhild County (referred to as the County) deems it advisable to
establish a set of rates, rules and regulations, and enforcement thereof as may be necessary
for the efficient operation of the natural gas systems supplied by the municipality.
NOW THEREFORE the Council of Thorhild County, in the Province of Alberta, duly
assembled enacts and adopts the Schedule of Rates, Schedules "A" and "B" attached to
and forming part of this Bylaw which will effect invoices and bills issued after the Effective
Date of th is Bylaw; and
1.0
Utility account shall mean an account specific to an individual customer, as
named on the Natural Gas Installation and Service Agreement, containing a
register of amounts owed for provision of natural gas utility service.
2.0
All rates charged by the County in connection with any utility shall be due and
payable on the day on which any bill or invoice for such rates are forwarded or
mailed to the person in whose name the utility account appears on the County
record.
3.0
All utility accounts which remain unpaid after the indicated due date on the
invoice or bill described in Section 1.0 of this Bylaw shall be assessed interest
charges at the rate of two percent (2.0%) per month until such accounts are
paid in full. Any utility account that remains unpaid after the indicated due date
shall be deemed to be an account in default.
4.0
Where any utility account is in default, the County shall be entitled to pursue any
and all available legal and equitable remedies for payment without liability or
responsibility, except for obligations arising prior to the date of termination, by
written notice to the defaulting party, which may include any or all of the following
methods:
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a. by action in any court or competent jurisdiction,
b. immediate suspension or discontinuance of service by shutting off the utility
being supplied to the consumer,
c. by distress and sale of the goods and chattels of the person owing the rates
wherever they may be found within the County.
5.0
Any utility account in default may be assessed for any and all administrative and
collection costs relating to the recovery by the County of amounts owed.
6.0
The Chief Administrative Officer of the County shall exercise the powers of the
County specified in Section 3.0 of this Bylaw.
7 .0
In addition to the exercise of the powers specified in Section 3.0 of this Bylaw and
subject to Section 553 of the Municipal Government Act, Revised Statutes of
Alberta 2000, Chapter M-26, the Chief Administrative Officer may at any time enter
on the assessment of the tax roll of a property the amount or amounts of all utilities
in default in respect of any utilities supplied to the subject property.
8.0
This Bylaw may be cited as the "Natural Gas Rates Bylaw".
9.0
Effective Date: Thorhild County Bylaw 08-2021 is repealed effective April 1, 2024
and Bylaw 01-2024 comes into effect on April 1, 2024.
Read a first time this 9th day of January 2024.
Reeve, Janine Paly
ier
Read a second time this 30th day of January 2024.
/
Reeve, Janine Paly
)
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Read a third and final time this 30th day of January 2024.
Reeve, Janine Paly
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SCHEDULE "A"
DEFINITION OF NATURAL GAS RATES AND CHARGES:
Service Charge:
A flat fee charge that is intended to recover costs for such things as: billing and
other related charges, customer service, securing supply, energy related charges,
communication, facilities, and administration of customer accounts.
Distribution Charge:
A variable charge that is intended to recover the costs of operating and maintaining
a distribution pipeline that fluctuate with consumption.
Capital Rate Rider:
A flat fee charge that is intended to reflect each customer's share of costs of capital
program related assets, such as equipment and replacement of defective pipe or
installation of new pipe.
Cost of Gas:
A variable charge that reflects the cost of acquiring and providing gas to the County
natural gas distribution system.
Meter Reading Charge:
A flat fee charge that is intended to recover the cost of dispatching a serviceman
and administration of managing reads.
SCHEDULE OF NATURAL GAS RATES AND CHARGES:
Billing Item
Service Charge
Distribution Charge
Capital Rate Rider
Cost of Gas
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Charge
Application
$27.00
per billing month per riser
$2.21
per gigajoule consumed during
each billing period
$4.00
per billing month per riser
Flow
from
supplier
per
gigajoule
through
consumed during each billing period
cost
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I
SCHEDULE "B"
DEFINITION OF OTHER NATURAL GAS RATES AND CHARGES:
Meter Reading Testing:
A flat fee charge that is intended to reflect the cost of removing, testing and re-
installation of a meter that the consumer believes is faulty. Should the meter be
found to be faulty the consumer will be credited back the Gas Meter Testing
charge.
Arrears Administration:
A combination of a flat fee charge and variable charge that is intended to reflect
the cost of managing and processing the administration and collection of utility
accounts that are deemed to be in payment arrears of default.
Re-Connection Charge:
A flat fee charge that is intended to reflect the cost of re-installing natural gas
service to a consumer that was previously disconnected due to a default in utility
account.
Deposit:
A onetime flat fee, refundable payment, applicable to new and existing utility
account holders with intermittent or absent credit history; payable prior to
commencement of service. The deposit is refundable upon termination of service
or upon request after one year of service and no credit issues have occurred (less
any outstanding amounts owed upon termination of service).
Infill Charge:
Cost of a primary line for natural gas service installation for rural and urban services
in the Thorhild County franchise area.
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SCHEDULE OF OTHER NATURAL GAS RATES AND CHARGES:
Billing Item
Charge
Application
Gas Meter Testing
$100.00
per request or event
Arrears Administration
$20.00
per notification or event plus any
additional costs that may be
incurred
Re-Connection Charge
$75.00
per request or event
Deposit
$300.00
per utility account, where deemed
necessary - applied prior to
activation or reactivation of service
Infill Charge - Urban
$3,500.00
per service installation in a hamlet
Infill Charge - Rural
$8,250.00
per service installation outside a
plus costs
hamlet
above
$30,000
* All fees in Schedules "A" and "B" will be charged GST where applicable.
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