Toronto homeowners could be in for heftier bills when it comes to water and garbage next year.

City staff is recommending that council approve an eight per cent hike to water rates and a 3 per cent hike to garbage collection rates for 2016.

The increases are needed to help boost the capital reserves in the water and solid waste budgets and pay for necessary repairs, according to Budget Chair Gary Crawford.

Specifically, the water rate increase is part of a previously approved plan to hike fees by 8 per cent in 2015, 2016 and 2017 to restore $1 billion in funding that has been lost due to a decrease in water consumption.

“Any increase that will be happening will actually be going into the capital improvements that really I think everyone wants,” Crawford told CP24 on Friday morning. “Whether it is water or solid waste, the extra money you are going to be spending will be going into those capital reserves and to fixing what we need to fix. “

The average Toronto household paid $882 for water in 2015, so an increase of eight per cent would translate into an extra $70.56 on the average bill.

Meanwhile, the three per cent increase to garbage rates would cost Torontonians an extra $7.35 to $14.35 depending on the size of their trash bins.

The city’s budget committee considered both increases today as it finalized Toronto’s waste and water budgets.

Members of the public will be invited to weigh in on the proposed increases at a meeting on Nov. 13.

The increases would then be brought before council as part of its deliberations on the 2016 budget.

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