Battleford residents to see slight recycling increase as monthly billing begins

“I did some research around the province, and it’s definitely on the lower side of what increases a lot of municipalities [have] seen this year.”

The increase applies for the 2026 service year.

“The taxpayers don’t get charged directly for waste pickup; that is incorporated in their taxation rate,” Leslie said.

“For the recycling, that is a cost-neutral for the town. So what Loraas charges to pick up each resident’s recycling, we pass back to those individual homes. So on their water bills, they will see a slight increase to the cost of picking up recycling.”

At the same meeting, council approved a new Monthly Utility Billing and Treatment of Arrears policy, formalizing the town’s move away from quarterly billing.

The municipality previously issued water bills every 90 days. Under the new framework, accounts will be generated and meters read monthly, with updated procedures for arrears management and ownership transfers.

“So, in part of this budget to streamline costs and efficiencies, now we are doing monthly bills.”

The policy outlines how arrears are handled when properties change hands. Under provincial legislation, certain unpaid utility charges can be added to the property’s tax roll.

Leslie acknowledged past situations where new homeowners were left responsible for unpaid balances under the old quarterly system.

“If you bought a new home, there was a rare instances where if the person before you didn’t pay their bill or the date of possession was at a weird time in the cycle, you may have to pay a portion of what would have been perceived as their water bill,” he said.

“And sometimes that really made people upset if they had to pay $200 of someone else’s water bill.”

He said monthly billing should significantly reduce that risk.

“With monthly, there should be very rare instances that there should be a carryover water bill,” Leslie said, adding administration must remain diligent to prevent such cases.

The new policy takes precedence over previous utility billing policies and will be reviewed at least every three years.

Council approved both measures during its regular meeting Monday night.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

Battleford residents to see slight recycling increase as monthly billing begins

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