Starting next year, the City of Saskatoon will advertise that it allows residents to defer the costs of some electrical and plumbing work sometimes required when replacing lead pipes.
An information report, presented to the environment, utilities and corporate services committee on Monday morning, states the city administration is planning to let residents know they can also defer the costs of re-grounding the electrical systems and cleaning out plumbing when they defer the costs of replacing lead pipes, should they choose to do so.
“While these plumbing and electrical costs are not included in the cost sharing program, homeowners have been historically allowed to add these amounts to their tax roll upon request, although this option was not formally promoted to residents,” the report says.
It says only residents who weren’t in a financial position to cover the costs typically made the request and that interest in deferring more costs “was amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic as residents… were undergoing added competing financial priorities.”
The current program requires the homeowner to pay for 40 per cent of the costs of the replacement, from the property line to the footing of the building.
If the electrical system was connected to the lead water service connection then it will need to be regrounded when the lead pipe is replaced. The typical cost, according to the report, is $450.
It also says cleaning out foundation walls to replace pipes can typically cost $150.
Coun. Hilary Gough asked how the administration accommodated residents whose homes required more expensive efforts.
“We do look at every case on a case-by-case basis and talk to the homeowners and see what’s reasonable,” Matt Jurkiewicz, the city’s construction director, replied.
“We have to be a little cautious about how far we go into funding different upgrades within homes but we are more than reasonable.”
The administration estimates the total cost of deferring payments for regrounding and clean-outs to be $500,000, with the city eventually recovering all funds.
The administration is planning to include the option in deferral contracts for the 2021 construction season.
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