The Editor:
Further to John Kelly’s letter about water meters in Cornwall, I wanted to add the following:
City Administration brought the proposal to council to install water meters. Watson & Associates made their presentation to Council and on September 21, 2021 Council voted with Glen Grant (appointed Mayor) providing the tie breaking vote. Two councillors were not present for the vote – Todd Bennett and Maurice Dupelle – one of these councillors was absent due to Covid 19. I would have thought with a vote this important that Council could have waited for all members to be present. It is especially galling that during a pandemic, with a councillor off ill, a vote was held anyway.
In September, 2021 the Bank of Canada rate was .25 and the retail prime rate was 2.45. The Bank of Canada rate is currently 4.75 and the retail prime rate is 6.95. Twenty one (21) million dollars is sure going to cost a lot more now, eh?
Annual offset costs of $300,000 (due to decreased water usage) and $70,000 (leak detection due to meters) – if realized – will not offset the cost of carrying the loan.
Water meters were probably inevitable; I think it just could have been handled better. I have never heard anyone running for Council voice their concerns for water conservation and the need for water meters. What we got was a quick vote during a pandemic.
I wish City Administration would tell City Council that we need sidewalks on my street….
Yours truly,
Elaine Douglas,
Cornwall
Cornwall
