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Mission Springs Water District outlines Prop 218 mailer proposing 9% water, 7% sewer increases
Summary
Mission Springs Water District told the Desert Hot Springs City Council it mailed a Prop 218 notice describing proposed rate adjustments driven by inflation, aging infrastructure, conservation and water‑quality mandates; the district said the average residential customer would see about a $7 monthly increase and that assistance funding would be boosted.
Marian Champion, assistant general manager at Mission Springs Water District, told the City Council the district mailed a Prop 218 notice earlier this month describing a proposed rate adjustment intended to keep the utility financially stable over the long term. Champion said five drivers underlie the proposal: high regional inflation, aging pipes and infrastructure, state and local conservation mandates, new water‑quality requirements including work on chromium‑6, and active groundwater management.
Champion said the district’s financial consultant recommended roughly a 9% increase for water rates and a 7% increase for sewer rates. "For a residential customer using 13 CCF — about our average usage — that's about $3.44 per month on the water side and about $3.59 on the sewer side, so that's really about $7.03 total increase," she said.
Champion acknowledged that while $7 may be small for some households, it can be a hardship for others, and she said the district plans to increase its Help to Others assistance program from $100 to $150 annually for income‑qualified customers. She said that program is administered by SoCal United Way and not funded by ratepayer dollars; instead, the district combines non‑rate revenue such as lease income from utility towers to support assistance.
Champion described outreach the district has conducted: a long‑range financial and master plan, a cost‑of‑service study, a mailed Prop 218 notice, website materials (mswd.org/rates), social‑media outreach and multiple community meetings in senior and library venues and at Mission Springs and Mission Lakes Country Club. She said the 7%/9% recommendations were informed by a citizen advisory committee that reviewed financial scenarios and reserve impacts and that the committee participated in board meetings and community outreach.
The presentation drew brief local comment and was followed by additional council business. Champion provided contact information and invited residents to the remaining community meetings and to request presentations at local clubs and homeowners associations.
The district did not present a formal board action to the council at this meeting; the Prop 218 process will follow statutory notice and protest rules before any rate changes take effect.
