“Council made a decision years ago that the taxes our residents pay (go) towards the purchasing of equipment and training of staff,” he said. “The use of the manpower and equipment is an extra cost, and efforts to offset these costs through our user fees bylaw should be made.”

Schuenemann’s insurance company paid $500 of the cost for the high hoe, leaving him to pay $832 out of pocket. He said he delayed paying it for a month to see whether his insurance would cover the tab, but eventually he paid the rest.

“I didn’t want to have my credit rating ruined, and I wasn’t in a state to argue back then,” he said.

Schuenemann said he plans to fight the township on principle.

“It’s $800. That’s not a big deal, but it is to somebody who doesn’t have a whole lot of money,” he said. “It’s a shock that they’d bill you for it. I don’t want them to set a precedent for this for the next person.”

For now, he and his wife, son, his son’s girlfriend and father-in-law – who all lived together at the time of the fire – are living in a condo provided by the insurance company. The home is being rebuilt, and the family expects to be living there again by March.

It was difficult to see it burn after spending years working on it, said Schuenemann.

“I had to leave. I couldn’t watch it,” he said. “They had to tear out the foundation and the whole bit. It was back to a hole in the ground.”

Luckily, Schuenemann said, he had someone from his insurance company to his house to take photos of the finished renovations to get an updated estimate on its value. Those photos helped document what exactly was in the house that can be replaced by insurance, but he said it took months to remember and list what was in every drawer and closet.

Schuenemann urged people not to procrastinate documenting what they own.

“Make a list of the things you own, or take a video of it.”

Tay Township user fees and service charges bylaw