Belleville councillors have agreed to discount the rate that Prince Edward County pays to buy water from the city’s treatment plant to serve properties in Rossmore and Fenwood Gardens.
While the original agreement was struck in 1988 and based on historical rates, the modern version of the deal, which was made in 2006 and extended into 2021, charged PEC $4.34 per cubic metre of water used.
The County has asked multiple times for its rate to be closer to the $2.41 per cubic metre that Belleville residents are paying for water services and has asked again that the current rate be dropped by 10%, to $3.91 per cubic metre, which would lead to an annual $44,000 shortfall.
Belleville Council followed city staff’s recommendation to allow the discount and sign a new 10-year agreement, noting that Belleville’s growth over that time will more than make up the difference in lost revenue.
Prince Edward County Council is awaiting a legal opinion on the plan before deciding on whether or not to accept the new deal.
