Revised Schedule A to By-law W-1 - Water and Sewer Rates and Charges (2026) — full text, St. Stephen, New Brunswick

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REVISED SCHEDULE "A" To By-law No. W-1, A By-law Respecting Water and Sewer Rates and Charges "MDSS" means the Municipal District of St. Stephen. "Unit" means a structure, or part of a structure, used primarily for a defined purpose, including residential, commercial, industrial, or short-term rentals. Each unit is subject to a base or flat rate billed separately from other units. "Self-Contained" means a building, or portion of a building, that functions as a complete and independent Unit and, except for being attached to another part of the building, can serve its primary purpose without requiring access to another Unit. Primary purpose shall be determined based on the main use of the occupied space, even where access is through a common area. "Residential Unit" means a property or Self-Contained Unit used primarily for long-term human occupancy for periods exceeding thirty (30) days, where the occupant has the right to twenty-four (24) hour daily use. A Residential Unit includes bedrooms, bathrooms, living space, and kitchen facilities. Residential properties may consist of a single Self-Contained Unit or multiple Residential Units, including duplexes, apartment buildings, condominiums, and non-profit housing. Where a building is divided into separate Self-Contained Units, each Unit shall be classified according to its primary use. To qualify as a Residential Unit, the occupant must have an economic interest in the property through ownership or an ongoing rental arrangement exceeding thirty (30) days. "Commercial Unit" means a Unit used primarily for commercial, business, institutional, social, cultural, religious, administrative, or service purposes, including the sale of goods, the provision of services, or the carrying on of organized activities, whether or not a fee or charge is imposed, and includes a Unit occupied by a not-for-profit entity, whether charitable or non-charitable. A Residential Unit shall not be classified as a Commercial Unit solely because of incidental business activity that is secondary to the residential use of the Unit and not generally open to the public. Classification shall be determined by MDSS Administration based on the facts of each case. "Industrial Unit" means a Commercial Unit classified as industrial by MDSS Administration, based primarily on ongoing monthly water and sewer usage that exceeds the average usage of other commercial users. "Short-Term Rental Unit" means a Unit intended for short-term human occupancy for periods of less than thirty (30) days, where the occupant does not ordinarily have an economic interest in the property other than any rental payment required. 1. All rates are based on quarterly billing and will be pro-rated for alternative billing frequencies, such as monthly. Base rates for non-residential units shall not be less than the prorated flat rate for Residential Units. 2. The water and sewer rates for a Residential Unit shall be a fixed rate of $190.00 per family unit per quarterly billing basis. For Residential Units that are not connected to the municipal sewer system, the base rate per family unit per quarterly basis shall be $65.00 for water only. 3. The water rates for Commercial Units shall be based on metered usage and shall consist of a base rate of $65.00 for the first 500 cubic feet. plus $3.95 per 100 cubic feet of additional usage. Sewer rates for commercial units will be $125.00 for the same 500 cubic feet of water usage, plus $7.63 per 100 cubic feet of additional water usage. 4. The water and sewer rates for short-term rental units shall be based on metered rates for commercial units. 5. The water rates for Industrial Units shall be based on metered usage and shall consist of a base rate of $67.00 for the first 500 cubic feet plus $4.08 per 100 cubic feet of additional usage. Sewer rates for Industrial Units will be $129.00 for the same 500 cubic feet of water usage, plus $7.88 per 100 cubic of additional water usage. 6. Non-residential units are billed based on a metered usage. Where a meter reading cannot be obtained the rate may be estimated on usage for the previous quarter. Where readings for previous quarter are not available, the rate charged will be based on readings from similar properties in the same or similar business or use as determined by MDSS administration. 7. The water rates for water purchased in bulk at a location approved by the Director of Operations shall be charged at a rate of $59.00 per 100 cubic feet and must be prepaid. Proof of prepayment provided by the Municipality is required prior to bulk purchase. Prepayment exceeding the billed amount will be refunded to the customer. Credit card payments will be accepted with a 2% fee based on the actual amount of the purchase. Supply of bulk water from an approved automated bulk distribution system will be prepaid, based on the requirements of the system, prior to distribution of the water. 8. All current bills are due by the end of the month subsequent to the month of billing. Late payments are subject to an interest charge of 1.5% per month on overdue balances except that Council delegates the authority to waive interest charges as follows: $00.01 - $500.00 Director of Corporate Services $500.01 - $1,000.00 Chief Administrative Officer >$1,000.00 Municipal District Council. Approved on March 25, 2026; RES. NO. 31/26