The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) has released a report and guide on cost recovery for water and wastewater services.
Key observations include the need for and benefit of municipal autonomy when exploring solutions to meeting capital and operational requirements that address local circumstances and experiences. The report also acknowledges the need to allow municipalities the ability to explore opportunities to create revenue streams to support storm water infrastructure.
AMO retained Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. and Dillon Consulting Limited to undertake a survey of 16 Ontario municipalities of diverse size and geography that have made or are moving toward full-cost recovery and life-cycle asset management for water and wastewater services in an effort to help those municipalities that are in various stages of implementing full-cost recovery. The survey results have been included in a report and guide to add to the resources and ongoing conversation on cost recovery for municipal water and wastewater infrastructure.
The report and accompanying guide have been designed to help municipal councils and staff to identify practices that could be helpful to replicate in their own municipality to move water and wastewater systems further toward life-cycle costing and cost recovery.
