The City’s secondary suite bylaw moved a little closer to official enactment Tuesday despite the protestations of Coun. Surinderpal Rathor.
The proposed bylaw, said Mayor Kerry Cook, is about enhancing suite safety and reflects council’s belief that the suites are an “important part of housing stock.”
The City defines secondary suites as an “additional dwelling within an owner-occupied, single-family home which contains a kitchen facility within an R-1 zone.”
According to the policy, the City will require on-premise parking space be available to the tenant, will charge a 20 per cent utility surcharge to all homes with occupied suites, will require new suites to meet building-code regulations, and will set inspection fees at $75 per suite for which there will be an amnesty for the first 12 months.
While Rathor said the policy was “long overdue” and announced his support for it, he objected to the flat-utility surcharge.
“If you take the utility fee out I support it. If not, I vote against it,” he said.
“That 20 per cent extra charge to the owner — the owner will not pay and will pass it to the tenant.”
Instead, Rathor proposed the installation of water meters and base-utility charges on actual consumption that could more accurately reflect the number of individuals living in the residence through utility use.
He suggested it was unfair under the proposed bylaw for a household of eight, for example, to be paying the same as a household of three.
Cook said that would cost the City in terms of adopting the infrastructure required as well as the homeowners. She said council had discussed at length the issue and considered utility charges from zero to 100 per cent.
“We wanted to be fair,” she said.
“We recognized the need for secondary suites but we wanted to be fair to other residents who are paying the full fare,” she said.
Coun. Natalie Hebert agreed, noting that 20 per cent may be on the low end if there is a family occupying a suite and drawing on utilities.
The utility surcharge is expected to be applied starting in 2012. For the policy to be approved, a number of the City’s other bylaws must be changed.