About your utility bill

City of Camrose

Utility Rates and Charges

(Effective January 1, 2008)

Solid Waste Management

In Camrose the city provides waste collection weekly to all single family, duplex, triplex and four-plex dwellings. All multi-family units with more than four units, and all commercial, industrial and institutional properties must make their own arrangements for waste collection and disposal. They have the option of doing it themselves, or using one of several private contractors who provide this service in Camrose.

The City retains a private contractor to provide all residential waste collection in the city. The contractor from April 2005 to March 2010 is Waste Services Inc. (780) 679-0409. Please call them directly if you have questions about your pickup service.

All residential properties which receive waste collection services are charged two monthly fees. These are fixed fees charged each month, whether the service is used or not.

The Residential Garbage Collection Fee (GACF) is the contract fee that Waste Services Inc. charges for collection. This service is tendered periodically to ensure that the best service is provided for the most economical price.

The Residential Garbage Disposal Fee (GADF) covers the cost of disposing of the waste in the Camrose Regional Sanitary Landfill.

Waste Collection and Disposal in Camrose is treated as a utility, and is totally funded by user fees charged on utility bills. No tax revenue is used to subsidize these programs.

A monthly recycling fee is applied to each utility bill in Camrose. Funds collected through the fee are used to operate the Recycle with Centra Cam Collection Depot and run other recycling programs such as glass, plastic and e-waste recycling and Back Yard Composter education program.

Please see our recycling section for additional information regarding our recycling facility and for information about recycling surpluses.

The Camrose Sanitary Sewer System provides service to virtually every property in Camrose. A system of pipes remove sanitary waste water from buildings and transport it to the Camrose Waste Water Treatment Facility on the South Boundary of Camrose.

The Sanitary Sewer System is funded entirely by utility rates. No tax revenue is used to operate the facility.

The Sanitary Sewer Basic Charge is a fixed monthly fee which covers costs which do not vary with use. These costs include the cost of providing a pipe and connection to your property and the cost of the main in the street. These facilities have to be in place and the costs are the same whether a customer discharges one cubic meter per month or one hundred cubic meters per month.

The Sanitary Sewer Usage Fee is a fee which is based on the volume of water you discharge.

Because there is no practical way of directly measuring the amount of sewage you discharge into the system, the sewer usage rate is based on the amount of water which you use. While it is true that some of the water you use does not get discharged to the sanitary sewer, water consumption is a good general indicator of the relative amount of sewage discharged. Some cities base sewer rates on a percentage of water use and some even vary the percentage winter to summer. This makes the billing system very complicated and is not any more fair than the system used in Camrose because in the end the rates have to be high enough to cover the system operating costs. If our rates were based on 80% of water consumption rather than 100% then the rates would have to be higher to collect the same revenue. In either system the person who waters their lawn is going to pay a little more.

Most homes in Camrose constructed between 1950 and 1994 have weeping tiles which are connected to the sanitary sewer. These weeping tiles collect water from around the foundation and discharge it to the sanitary sewer. The flow from these weeping tile connections can be significant. Homes with weeping tile connections are therefore charged a higher rate than homes without.

The Camrose Water System is funded entirely from water utility rates. No tax revenue is used to subsidize operation of the water system.

The Water System Basic Charge is a fixed monthly fee which covers costs which do not vary with use. These costs include the cost of providing a pipe and connection to your property and the cost of the main in the street. These facilities have to be in place and the costs of maintaining them are the same whether a customer uses one cubic meter of water per month or one hundred.

The Water System Consumption Charge is based on the amount of water used.

Every building in Camrose which is connected to the water system has a water meter. A remote reader is installed in most homes so that we do not have to enter the house each time the meter is read.

Water meters in Camrose are read every second month, and our computer system estimates the reading for the months when an actual reading is not available.

Both current and previous readings are shown on your utility bill. The "Bill Code" indicates whether the current reading is an Actual Reading "A" or a Computer Estimate "E". Your consumption is the difference between the readings.

Most meters in Camrose read in cubic meters, but a few register in cubic feet. The consumption shown on your bill is always converted to cubic meters.

Because the meter reading continually increases from the time the meter is installed, if there is a reading error or if the computer estimates a reading incorrectly, the bill will always correct itself on the next reading. If for example the computer estimated high, the difference from the previous bill and the estimate would be high and you would get a larger bill than normal. The next time the meter is read the calculated consumption will be lower because it would be the difference from the high estimate and the current reading. Your next bill would therefore be lower, making up for the earlier higher bill.

Water meters are usually very accurate. Water going through the meter turns a propeller device which turns the meter. When meters get old they usually slow down, which means they let more water through than they measure and you get more water than you pay for. If you think your meter is inaccurate you can have the meter tested by contacting Public Works. A fee is charged for meter testing, which is returned if the meter is not accurate.

For more detailed information please contact Engineering by calling (780) 672-4428.

	City of CamroseWelcomeVisitorsCommunityAdministrationLeisureEngineeringProtective            We welcome your feedback Updated January 10, 2008