AMessagefrom YourPresident

There has been a lot of heat surrounding the 30M wastewater expansion project to the south of our city. And although there is plenty of information on the topic available on the city website, it can be a challenge to summarize it and make sense of it in your head

Over the past seven months, I have spoken with the developers, the city mayor, the city staff, chamber members, investment professionals, developers in other cities, our board, and our executive committee, not to mention countless Brandonites, about this proposed bylaw I have read the articles in the Brandon Sun and the reports and other information on the city website I am informed on this issue and feel like I understand it well enough to explain it.

So here it goes; not moving ahead with the expansion will mean halting development, including commercial and residential properties in the southern part of Brandon. This has various consequences, including (continued) housing shortages, and increased housing prices, among other increases. While I support growth for our city, including this bylaw, I also recognize that any increase to a rate or tax is potentially difficult for many.

For clarity, the Southwest Lift Stations (SWLS) will be partially funded through our water utility payments, which are set to increase up to 100% over the next four years, including staged increases in service charges by the city. If this endeavour is not approved, our water utility rates will still increase by an estimated 79% from current rates. The dramatic rise in water utility rates is of concern but is a different topic. Below is a chart that I created based on the information provided by the city, it is a very simplistic view of the SWLS impact on our water bills.