Belcarra homeowners will be charged an extra $250 a year for drinking water after the cost of a water project skyrocketed.
Angry residents got the news from the village council last week, just days after Mayor Ralph Drew and the four councillors were acclaimed for another three-year term.
The potable water project to tap into Metro Vancouver's water supply in the district of North Vancouver via an underwater pipe came in $1.9 million higher than the 2006 estimate, residents were told at a meeting Oct. 19 - five days after the deadline for candidates to file nomination papers in the civic election.
Now, instead of an annual $900 estimate per parcel for 25 years, homeowners will face an approximate $1,154 levy per year; in the spring, they can opt to pay the levy either in a lump sum or have the cost spread out on their property tax bills until 2037.
On Monday, council voted to press forward with a bylaw to accept the $1.9-million hike, bringing the project total to more than $9 million. (In 2005, two-thirds of the village's electorate approved $3 million in borrowing in a non-binding referendum.)
And Mayor Drew blamed delays caused by other levels of government for the increase.
"The timing, that really whacked us," Drew told The Tri-City News yesterday. "It didn't need to happen. It didn't need to have delays."
He pointed to the 14-month review by the federal and provincial governments to apply for a $4-million infrastructure grant, a 20-month process with the national environmental assessment agency as well as two years of negotiation between the village, feds and Tseil-Waututh First Nation for causing the tie-ups and subsequent inflation.
"So, right there, that's half the cost increase," Drew said, noting the balance came from detailed engineering designs "for additional components required" such as technological upgrades.
Drew said council first got wind the project would cost more in June when the penultimate tender came in. At that time, residents were told the price was going to rise - but not by how much, he said.
In September, the final tender came in and a financial consultant was hired to crunch the numbers, which were unveiled at last Wednesday's public meeting.
Drew said he understands Belcarra homeowners' frustration "but the reality is that we were in a position where we didn't have the numbers until literally a couple of weeks ago," he said. "Just as soon as we had the hard numbers we could communicate, we did."
The mayor said he doesn't expect the price to rise again. "We have the final component of the work tendered and we've got the costs fixed at this time."
Still, despite the project cost increase, Drew said property owners will see a rise in their home values because they won't have to use wells. The project, which is now about 75% done, is expected to be finished by late March.
jwarren@tricitynews.com
