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Bakersfield council directs Prop. 218 notice for phased sewer rate increase after staff presentation and public review
Summary
After two rounds of community outreach and consultant engineering work, council voted to begin Prop. 218 notices for a phased five-year sewer rate increase (year 1: $475; up $100 annually to $875) with an anticipated bond later. Council discussion focused on bonding size, impacts on county agencies and protections for low-income residents.
Council voted on Feb. 11 to direct staff to begin the Proposition 218 notice process for a recommended, phased sewer user rate increase after a multi-month review that included consultant engineering analyses and community town halls.
The council's action follows a staff presentation summarizing AECOM's infrastructure evaluation and a separate HF&H cost-of-service analysis. Ms. Budak, who led the staff presentation, said the recommended scenario would set year one rates at $475 annually (about $39.60 per month) and add $100 each year for four years, reaching $875 annually by the fifth year. "The recommended rate is to increase the year 1 to $475, and then over the next 4 years, increase a $100 a year until the end of the Prop 218 5 year period," she said.
Why it mattered: staff and consultants told the council that the city's treatment plants require near-term maintenance and medium-term upgrades to…
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