The Township was successful in obtaining Municipal Modernization Program funding from the Province in 2021, to be used towards an independent, comprehensive user fee review. BMA Management Consulting (BMA) was engaged to act as the third-party reviewer of the Township’s current user fees and underlying processes, and provide suggestions for improvements.

Section 391 of the Municipal Act, 2001, authorizes municipalities to impose fees or charges for services or activities provided, or for the use of municipal property. User fees are used by municipalities to fund programs and services that provide limited, or no direct benefit, to the community as a whole. The study performed by BMA determined the reasonable cost of each service provided by the Township, for which it charges a user fee, and also performed benchmarking with other Niagara municipalities.

This study included user fees within the following service areas:

  • Building (excluding Development Charges)
  • Planning 
  • Finance
  • Clerks
  • Fire
  • Recreation
  • Cemeteries
  • Public Works (excluding Water and Wastewater Rates)

Click the button below to download the Comprehensive Study of Fees and Charges report as prepared by BMA. This report was presented to Members of Council in January 2022 for information. 

Comprehensive Study of Fees and Charges - 2022