Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District Proposes 30% Rate Hike Over Next 2 1/2 years (2013, house)

[NewToCA]

They claim it is out of their control.

Per their own document:

The current proposal is a three-year rate plan that would begin to incrementally increase SRCSD's monthly rates in order to fund new wastewater treatment processes that are required due to adoption of SRCSD's new Discharge Permit by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board in December 2010. In addition, a portion of the new rates will address increased operation and maintenance costs and debt coverage related to the existing wastewater treatment system.

It is important to note that the current proposal is for a three-year timeframe only. While rates will need to increase beyond the next three years in order to design and construct the many new required wastewater treatment processes - potentially taking SRCSD's monthly rate to about $62 per month by 2020 - the current proposal is for the next three years only. Subsequent rate increases would have to be reviewed and go through the required public notification and protest process whenever those future proposals occur.

In accordance with Proposition 218, SRCSD recently mailed a "Notice of Proposed Rate Adjustment & Public Hearing Date" newsletter to all customers. The newsletter details the proposed three-year rate plan and the reasons for the proposed increases.

SRCSD understands that ANY rate increase is difficult for ratepayers - especially during this time of economic challenge. The plain fact is that the new Discharge Permit conditions are not "optional." They are mandates that we must comply with as dictated by the State of California.



Current SRCSD
Monthly Rate - $20.00


Proposed SRCSD Monthly Rate Plan

(Per Single Family Dwelling Unit*)


Effective Oct. 1, 2011 -$22.00

Effective July 1, 2012 - $24.00

Effective July 1, 2013 - $26.00


SRCSD Proposes Three-Year Rate Plan: Overview (http://www.srcsd.com/218-index.php - broken link)

[Bulldogdad]

Six dollars over three years? That should give people enough time to skip a few mcdonalds meals and save.

[NewToCA]

But, this is just an initial increase, total increase expected to be $42 per month by 2020.

[Majin]

I'm on board.

[Bulldogdad]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

But, this is just an initial increase, total increase expected to be $42 per month by 2020.

Understand completely. Cleaning out my grandmothers house after she passed I remember finding utility bills where the service for sewer and waste was a dollar a month back in the 1960's. Again until the general populous of this state get fed up with all the wasteful spending how do you control the price of an essential service such as human waste removal.

Just like the attention your post is receiving. Is it probably the most important information in this sub forum currently? Yes it is. Is reading it also like watching paint dry? Yes it is.

I get the point of your post. However its like talking about the bond market and its effect on our economy. 90% of peoples eyes glaze over. That's why I have given up posting anything of real meaning. Most people don't care and the ones who do are already in the know.

Again very relevant post. OK enough brown nosing the mod.

[NewToCA]

Nah, not brown nosing at all, just some lamenting that these types of things just don't resonate.

As someone who moved to California fairly late in life, I just find it interesting that these types of things don't generate the interest or outrage I've seen in other states where I have lived. Similar with how the Kings leaving generates minimal discussions, not just here but on other sites too.

[wburg]

Actually utility bills were a lot cheaper because public infrastructure programs like the Clean Water Act paid for a lot of the initial infrastructure costs. Also note that in the 1960s you could get a pretty good meal in a restaurant for a dollar.

The increase in utility costs has a lot to do with the enormous growth in water use in the region, and the fact that the above-mentioned infrastructure is now aging and woefully inadequate for the population it serves--and we are now noticing how the effects of not properly treating our wastes is affecting life in the rest of the state.

Essentially, for years we didn't have to bother cleaning up our own messes, and now we can't get around it anymore, so we have to pay up. A lot of people try to convince themselves that it is due to "inefficiency" or something that can just be wished away instead of the very real consequences of our own actions as a society--or, rather, actions taken by people 40-50 years ago, that we now have to deal with. We can remain in denial, and just have bigger messes to clean up later, or we can man up and fix the problems--which is most likely going to require paying for things.