The public meeting, held at the regular council meeting on Monday, June 8, brought a crowd of about 25, and followed a public information centre held at the Beaver Valley Community Centre on May 30.
Staff reported that the charges outlined in the draft bylaw that had been circulated were incorrect and listed the new prices.
For water servicing in area 1, residents would receive a bill for $9,221. In service area 2, residents would be billed $1,467 and in service area 3 the bill is $1,460.
For sewer servicing, residents of service area 1 will be billed $11,550. Service area 2 will be billed $13,334 and service area 3 will be billed $13,397.
Payment or intent to finance is due on September 18.
The Lora Bay Servicing project includes elements of mains and trunks along High Bluff Lane, Cameron St. Lake Drive, East Ridge Drive, Lora Bay Drive, Sunset Boulevard, Christie Beach Side Road and the 39th Side Road. The cost includes sanitary trunks extending from Thornbury to the Lora Bay Service Area along with a share of work on the Beaver River siphon and Thornbury main sewage pumping station. It also entails construction of a booster station, a water reservoir and multiple sewage pumping stations, according to a report by staff to council and the local residents.
Funding for the project comes from development charges and capital water and sewer charges billed to local residents.
The amount of Development Charges the town can collect is regulated by the Development Charges Act, according to Deputy Mayor Duncan McKinlay, who was chairing the council meeting in place of Ellen Anderson, who was absent.
McKinlay assured the crowd present for the meeting that the town charged the maximum allowable amount, and the rest would have to be covered by capital charges to users.
At both meetings, residents expressed concerns about receiving a bill even though they were not going to benefit from the services for a number of years.
McKinlay assured the crowd that future beneficiaries would not pay the bill until their property was being hooked up to the town servicing system.
Residents protested the fact that a capital project was coming from their own pockets and not expensed from tax dollars.
McKinlay stated that the town was required to keep water and sewage separate from taxation as it was a user fee and development charge funded system.
He further explained that a resident living in Heathcote would never have water and sewage service provided by the town, and should therefore not be charged for it.
One Lora Bay property owner argued that, though she didn't have any children, she didn't mind paying education taxes.
She explained that she was in the service area three, and there was no plan to install servicing to her property for another 10 to 20 years.
"What am I going to do when I build a house in five years?" she asked. "Put an outhouse out back?"
McKinlay told her that was a legal solution.
Jacqui Morrison, another member of the crowd, asked council to consider holding an additional public meeting on a weekend so the part-time residents would be able to attend.
McKinlay said he would consider it.
