A new rate rider will soon be placed on La Broquerie residents to recoup the cost of a deficit caused by lagoon maintenance in 2018.

La Broquerie CAO Anne Burns indicates that council sent an application for a wastewater rate increase to the Public Utilities Board about 19 months ago and only recently received a response.

“What should have been an increase in 2018 never occurred,” Burns explains, “We are not allowed to increase the rates until we get permission from the Public Utilities Board. Meanwhile, we still have to maintain and run the lagoon, and that’s what caused the deficit.

Burns notes that the new rate rider will span over three years and cost each Residential Equivalency Unit with lagoon access an additional $1.65 annually.

While she hopes this rate rider will be implemented sometime within the new year, Burns says they must once again go through the Public Utilities Board and await their approval.

“Depending on when we get permission to charge that rate rider, it will be for those three years going forward.”

Burns foresees one potential problem that this delay could cause: “Hypothetically, if you bought a house in La Broquerie in 2017, used the lagoon for two years, and then moved out without paying off the deficit for 2018, the new homeowners would have to do that.”

While the cost is not massive, Burns admits that this could be an annoyance. After this deficit is paid off, Burns expects the municipality will be back on track.