Water district considering raising rates

After three years of holding the line on rates, the Point Roberts water district has retained a consultant for a review of rates and connection fees.

At their March 14 meeting, commissioners voted to hire Ashley Emery, an engineer with experience doing rate surveys for other districts. He will replace Redmond firm Financial Consulting Solutions Group, which has undertaken previous rate surveys for the district. “I thought it would be a good idea to get somebody else’s eyes on it,” said district manager Dan Bourks.

The last time the district reviewed rates was in 2013, and the last time the water rates increased was March 2014. Since then water costs from the Greater Vancouver Water District have risen 2 to 3 percent annually, Bourks said. “We’ve been saving through the exchange rate but we really shouldn’t be relying on that,” he said.