Council approves basement flooding subsidy increase and fast-track option

City council approved an increase to Windsor's basement flooding subsidy program that will make more money available for homeowners, but could add "significant delays" to the process.

• Flood follow-up: 8 ways Windsor will fix its sewer system to prevent future floods

• 'We're basically just waiting on a prayer': Windsor woman says after flooding

The proposal comes from Mayor Drew Dilken's eight-point sewer plan.

Dilkens suggested the changes to the city's Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program (BFPSP), a week after Windsor was hit with historic flooding following record rainfalls at the end of August. 

One of the mayor's proposals is to increase the BFPSP subisdy from 80 per cent to 100 per cent, while maintaining the maximum subsidy amount of $2,800 per household. 

More than 1,000 homeowners have applied for the BFPSP following the flooding — creating an eight to nine-month wait for a courtesy inspection. 

Currently, each application requires a visit from a city inspector to make sure the work will be covered by the program. 

According to the report prepared by the city's engineer, three temporary inspectors can perform 150 inspections each month, meaning even if the staffing level was doubled there could still be a four to five-month wait. 

Fast track option

To avoid potential delays, city staff are recommending a fast-track option that would remove the inspection requirement to allow homeowners to get started on the work right away. 

However, speeding up the process opens homeowners up to "some level of risk ... as the work is completed prior to confirming if is eligible under the program," the report states. 

If approved by council, the option to have a visit from a home inspector would still be available if homeowners want it.

The report suggests making proper information and guidelines available to the homeowners that pick the fast-track option would limit the risk of homeowners completing work that is not covered under the subsidy program.

Increased subsidy, same cap

Increasing the BFPSP from 80 to 100 per cent would mean paying out an additional $513 on average to homeowners who apply for the program and could mean an increase in contractor rates, according to the report. 

Another potential issue suggested by the study is that the expected increase in applications could lead to a "backlog for qualified contractors to complete this work."

The report also recommends the increased subsidy be applied "on a go forward basis only."

It also encourages council to approve a maximum of $3.5-million transfer from the Sewer Surcharge Reserve Fund to the BFPSP to "assist with funding the one-time influx" of applications.

Other BFPSP changes suggested in the report to council:

• Residents will no longer be required to be current on their property taxes
• A requirement to submit two quotes for work would be removed
• Contractors will be required to obtain a permit for the work within 6 months instead of 60 days
• Create a more user-friendly website for the program