NOVA SCOTIA UTILITY AND REVIEW BOARD - NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
THE MUNICIPALITY OF THE COUNTY OF RICHMOND, on behalf of its WATER UTILITY, has applied for approval of amendments to its Schedule of Rates and Charges for Water and Water Services and amendments to its Schedule of Rules and Regulations
This matter will be considered in a public hearing as follows:
Hearing starts:
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
1:00 p.m.
Richmond County Council Chambers 2357 Route 206
Arichat, Nova Scotia
Depending on the circumstances (such as COVID-19), this public hearing may be held by GoToWebinar video conferencing.
Board Hearings are open to the public and you may participate as follows:
You may speak at the hearing. You must notify the Board by Friday, May 17, 2024.
- You may make written comments by sending a letter to the Clerk of the Board at P.O. Box 1692, Unit “M”, Halifax, NS B3J 3S3, or by email at: , or by fax at (902) 424-3919 by Friday, May 17,
- You may request formal standing as an Intervener, subject to Board approval. This will allow you to present evidence or cross-examine witnesses. Your request must be received by the Board by Tuesday, April 2, 2024 and a copy of your written evidence by Friday, April 26, 2024.
Additional information about the matter is as follows:
- For a 5/8” meter, residential customer, the average current quarterly water bill is $90.71 and it is proposed to increase to $104.58 (15.3%) in 2024/25, $119.54 (14.3%) in 2025/26, and to $129.89 (8.7%) in 2026/27.
- The Utility is also requesting increases for other metered services ranging from 8.4% to 15.4% in 2024/25, 14.9% to 15.1% in 2025/26 and 9.1% to 9.7% in 2026/27.
- The annual fire protection charge to be paid by the Municipality of the County of Richmond, currently $147,063, is proposed to remain at this amount throughout 2024 to 2026, and then increase to $161,114 (9.6%) in 2026/27.
Upon reviewing the Application, the Board, in its Decision, may determine that the proposed amendments should be as requested, higher, or lower.
A copy of the Application and any timetable applying to this matter may be viewed on the Board’s website at https://nsuarb.novascotia.ca/, by clicking on "Matters & Evidence", and in the "Go To Files and Documents”, enter Matter No. M11583.
To assist the Board in using correct forms of address and pronouns in our hearings and decisions, we invite all parties, lawyers, and all other participants to share their pronouns and titles with the Board and each other if they are comfortable doing so. There is no requirement to provide this information.