The City of Edmonton has backtracked on requiring community leagues to directly pay stormwater management charges, following a community and public services committee meeting on Monday, June 8, 2026. The decision defies both Epcor and city administration's earlier push for direct billing.
Committee Votes to Restore Previous System
Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi Coun. Jon Morgan made a motion to revert to the original scope of work from the 2026 budget, after hearing concerns from community league volunteers. The motion passed with a 3-1 vote, with Ward tastawiyiniwak Coun. Karen Principe opposed and Mayor Andrew Knack absent. An updated report is expected by Sept. 25.
Morgan, a former community league president, emphasized the burden on volunteers. "Community leagues have enough challenges running as it is," he said. "If we can reduce that stress, I think we’re serving them well. Let them do the stuff we want to see them do."
Previous Billing Arrangement
Before April 1, 2025, Epcor billed the city directly for stormwater services. The city paid the fees on behalf of community leagues and partially recovered costs through an annual $116,798 tax levy to the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL). Administration noted that actual utility costs ranged between $152,000 and $284,000, with the city absorbing the difference. This arrangement conflicted with a tripartite license agreement requiring leagues to pay all applicable bills.
Epcor flagged the discrepancy in an audit, also discovering other properties likely received stormwater services without being charged. A second phase to identify these properties and set up accounts is underway, expected to complete by 2027. The charges cover building, maintaining, and operating stormwater infrastructure to prevent floods and property damage.
Challenges with Direct Billing
Customers are billed based on property size, development extent, and surface type (grass or concrete). EFCL representatives told committee that many community leagues are on school grounds or larger properties, potentially facing disproportionate bills.
Council had allocated $995,648 through the community league operating grant to help EFCL pay new bills from April 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2025. However, the funding did not align with expenses, leaving many leagues in a cash crunch.
EFCL executive director Laura Cunningham-Shpeley said the cash injection helped prevent leagues from collapsing but noted that volunteer-driven organizations are ill-equipped to handle monthly stormwater billing. "When a volunteer treasurer steps down, the institutional knowledge of how to track, verify and pay these specialized bills goes with them," she said. "Passing along the monthly utility tracking to rotating groups of everyday neighbours is a recipe for administrative failure."
The committee's decision restores the centralized billing model, relieving community leagues of direct utility payments.
