The long-discussed sewer and water rate increase for the City of Dryden has concluded.

It will be 6.3 percent as of December 31st.

Bob Schneider spoke on behalf of landlords in the city and said he’s opposed to any sort of extra fee for apartments.

He suggests a lot of apartment units don’t use as much was as single-family dwellings.

“A lot of these one-bedroom apartments don’t even have a hot water tank,” Schneider told city council this week at its Committee of the Whole meeting.

“They don’t have a washer; they don’t have a dishwasher.  They are pretty basic.  So, you can take two one-bedroom apartments and put them in a single-family home, and they will probably have less (water) usage than that single-family home.”

He adds that an extra charge for multi-dwelling units is not fair or equitable.

“Money has to come from somewhere.  The infrastructure still has to be serviced.  We have to keep them up to standard.  We understand that. I also would like the city to understand everybody has to share in the costs of these improvements, not just a targeted group, such as the owners of multiplexes in Dryden.”

While Dryden council voted in favour of the increase, Mayor Jack Harrison says they do want to understand how a supplementary sewer and water fee would work for apartment buildings.

Any proposed sewer and water rate increase for multi-dwelling units would not be applied in 2025.