The City of Hamilton is examining the possibility of new relief or rebate programs to help low-income residents amidst a surge in the number of unpaid water bills. Senior policy advisor John Savoie says such arrears have soared in Hamilton in recent years, reaching 20,000 accounts last year with total unpaid amounts hitting $4.4 million. “Unpaid after 60 days, it gets transferred to the property’s tax roll,” said Savoie. “We have seen over the last five years or so, the number and the value of those tax roll transfers have more than doubled.” Savoie added that 90 per cent of last year’s unpaid water bills were residential.