Sylvan Lake residents will be reaching much deeper into their pockets this year when it comes to their utility bill.

Council approved new water and sewer rates this week, which mean the average homeowner, will see their monthly bill jump up by just over 28 dollars.

Communication Officer Joanne Gaudet says it's all due to the need to replace some aging infrastructure.

“Our wastewater solution is to connect to the regional wastewater system, however that comes with a cost and with the provincial announcement this past spring indicating funding for that project, our timeline has been expedited”.

Gaudet says residents can take steps to help keep their bills manageable and the increase will directly help fund vital changes for the utility system to support future growth.

“It’s a user based system so you pay for what you use and we’re not creating a reserve or anything, we’re collecting those utility fees and applying them directly to the replacement of aging infrastructure and that process of connecting to the regional wastewater system”.

Residents can also expect a switch from bi-monthly utility bills to monthly bills this year.

In addition to the new utility rates, Town Council placed their stamp of approval on the 2018 budgets this week which include a 1.97% municipal tax rate increase for both residential and non-residential properties, translating into roughly $42 more on an annual property tax bill for the average homeowner.

Key capital projects on the books include making traffic flow improvements at the intersection of Highway 20 and Erickson Drive, work on a Sustainable Waterfront Area Redevelopment Plan to help with future plans for the former waterslide property, and a community bus in addition to key infrastructure replacement programs.