The CEO of the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce says he's on the case and wants more information from the City after the news this week that some business could be faced with a $24,000 bill if a proposed water infrastructure levy is approved.

The motion was made back in 2017 to create the levy and tie it to the size of a water meter, the more water you use the bigger the levy. The idea came after the LIP funding model for cast iron replacement was defeated in the fall of 2016, leaving a huge hole in the capital budget.

CEO Rob Clark says it's the start of something troublesome.

"We're starting to circle a drain and we don't want to be going down the drain and making things happen, you know, like people being laid off. Anyway, I think this is early," Clark said. "I'm going to try to get some information see what we can do at the Chamber to as well for businesses and for the community in whole."

For the average resident, the levy would be $96 a year and then go up from there.

Clark is worried about any developers not wanting to come to town after seeing some of the prices and is scared about anyone in town who wants to expand.

"We got to be competitive," Clark added. "We understand, totally, that water is crucial to us. It's fundamental in our everyday needs. It is a necessary evil but two thousand dollars a month or whatever the fee would be on some of these meters are going to cause brown lawns and dirty cars."

Another option was a flat fee levy of $131 for every property but Clark says that doesn't seem fair either, to have a homeowner and then a business who used twice as much water pay the exact same fee.