The District of Sooke Committee of the Whole is considering a new wastewater bylaw and financial model that will replace the existing parcel tax-based cost recovery system once a major loan is paid off in October 2026. The proposed structure combines a parcel tax component for capital (renewal, upgrade, new projects) with a user-pay component based on wastewater generation derived from metered potable water usage, and introduces asset management funding targets between roughly 430,000 and 800,000 annually. Staff are seeking direction from the Committee on key policy choices such as annual billing cycles, asset management parcel tax levels, and whether to implement tiered volumetric rates similar to the City of Colwood.This is still in the planning stage within the 2026–2030 Financial Plan, with no vendors named, but it signals upcoming needs around utility billing administration, metering data integration, asset management planning, and sewer system renewal and expansion projects. Vendors in utility billing software, rate consulting, asset management systems, and wastewater infrastructure engineering can engage staff as they finalize the bylaw and prepare to operationalize the new model for the 2027 rate structure and beyond.

Key design questions still pending include billing cycle selection, user-rate methodology, asset management reserve contributions, and potential tiered rate adoption modeled after Colwood.