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Bakersfield council continues Prop 218 sewer rate hearing after residents decry affordability
Summary
Residents and county representatives urged the council to delay or revise a proposed sewer-rate schedule the city says is needed to repair aging infrastructure; staff recommended a $475 flat fee effective July 1, 2026, with $100 annual increases for four years. The council continued the hearing to May 13, 2026.
The Bakersfield City Council opened a public hearing April 22 on a proposed sewer-rate schedule under CaliforniaProposition 218 that staff says is needed to repair aging wastewater infrastructure. Water Director Chris Budak told the council staffrecommended a $475 sewer rate effective July 1, 2026, followed by $100 annual increases for the next four years.
Residents, community groups and Kern County representatives urged the council to reconsider the proposal, saying the increases would be unaffordable for many. Claire Collins, an attorney representing Kern County, told the council the proposed schedule would "increase sewer charges by nearly 400% over 5 years" and said the county had submitted a formal protest. "The county respectfully requests that the city consider spreading these costs over a longer period," she said.
Dr. Natalie Escobedo Garcia, speaking for Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability, said the rate analysis did not clearly separate costs attributable to current customers from costs for future growth and warned that "a portion of the proposed rate increase will shift financial burden from future customers to existing rate payers." Eric Orellana, also with the Leadership Council, urged establishment of a low-income rate assistance program funded from the general fund.
City staff described outreach and the protest-counting process required under Proposition 218. City Clerk Julie Dermakis summarized notice and protest procedures, saying notices were mailed to affected parcel owners and that written protests must be received before the close of the hearing on May 13. Budak said staff began outreach in October 2025, obtained third-party reviews of the cost-of-service analysis and posted related materials on a project webpage.
City Manager Clegg told the council staff had researched existing assistance programs and found a comparable model in Sacramento, which spends about $5,500,000 a year on low-income assistance, but that Bakersfield had not yet prepared a local funding recommendation. Vice Mayor Kaur urged staff to prioritize a fixed-income assistance program in the current budget cycle.
Outside counsel John DeChristina, representing the city's municipal finance advisers, told the council the proposed approach met legal requirements. "You're not breaking the law. You're not violating Prop 13," he said, and explained that choices about spreading capital costs over time versus bonding are policy decisions for the council.
After receiving 13 opposition speaker requests and no speakers in support, the council voted to continue the public hearing to May 13, 2026. Budak said staff anticipates bringing a resolution for any approved rate to the council on May 27 so the Kern County assessor can update the tax roll and, if adopted, the rate would take effect July 1, 2026.
The hearing remains open; the council will accept written protests until the close of the May 13 hearing and return to the matter at that meeting.
