Finance committee directs staff to prepare recommendation for roughly $16 monthly sewer rate after study

The Salinas Finance Committee on March 1 heard a sanitary sewer rate study and directed staff to prepare a report and recommendation to the full City Council based on a higher-rate scenario that would raise the typical monthly residential equivalent charge to about $16.02, staff and consultants said.

The rate study, prepared with consultants Wallace Group and DTA, found the city's sanitary sewer system serves roughly 12,000 acres with more than 280 miles of gravity mains, 11 lift stations and existing average flows of about 10,460,000 gallons per day; development in the North-of-Bridal growth area would add about 2,330,000 gallons per day, Assistant Public Works Director and City Engineer Adriana Robles said. "The sanitary sewer system, services an area over 12,000 acres," Robles said.

Committee members were shown capital needs and operating costs used to produce rate scenarios. DTA consultant Andrea Ress said annual operations and maintenance are currently about $3.5 million and the capital program escalated at 3% to year of construction totals roughly $114,800,000. "We have…