Kingsburg council accepts water rate study, authorizes Prop 218 notice with drought rates removed

The Kingsburg City Council on March 19 accepted a final water rate study, authorized staff to mail a Proposition 218 notice to property owners and set a public hearing for May 21 — but directed staff to remove proposed drought-rate provisions from the notice before mailing.

The rate study, prepared for the city by L & T consultants, recommends a multi-year rate schedule to cover rising operating and capital costs at the city’s water utility, municipal staff said. Public Works Director Daniel Galvez told the council the study would be posted on a dedicated project web page and that staff would proceed with the Prop 218 notification process if council approved the study.

The study says Kingsburg’s water rates have not changed since 2019 and attributes the proposed increases to new regulatory and capital costs, including upgrades to granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment, ongoing costs tied to the Sustainable Groundwater…