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Council adopts new winter averaging method for sewer billing; public raises equity concerns
Summary
Council approved a change to compute sewer winter averages using a one‑year automated method rather than a multi‑year manual average. Staff said rates per unit and the five‑unit minimum remain unchanged; 18 written protests were filed (below the 50% threshold). The measure passed 3–2 after robust public comment about impacts on low‑income residents.
The council voted to adopt a new method to calculate wastewater winter averages that will use a one‑year system‑generated winter reading rather than the prior multi‑year manual averaging.
Finance staffer Bob Cross explained the change is a systems‑friendly method that reads the city’s winter months and applies a current‑year average; he emphasized the per‑unit sewer rates are not changing ($9.28 per unit residential; $12.45 commercial; $13.09 industrial) and the existing five‑unit minimum remains in place. Cross said staff sampled parcel data and estimated about 63% of residential customers would have no change or a decrease in sewer charges; roughly 27% could see an increase. He also said the city received 18 written protests out of 11,102 parcels — below the 50%+1 threshold under Proposition 218 that would require denial.
“It's a different way of calculating the consumption,” Cross said, adding that the method reflects usage changes sooner and avoids a manual, error‑prone process. Councilors pressed staff for demographic breakdowns; staff said the billing system cannot reliably disaggregate outcomes by income or demographic groups because utility accounts are confidential and not tagged by income.
Public commenters and multiple council members voiced concerns that households on fixed incomes and renters in multi‑unit housing could be disproportionately affected. One speaker urged the council to reconsider how the method impacts tenants when property owners pass through charges. Council discussion acknowledged the city needs reliable data for a subsequent rate study and that the winter‑averaging change could produce more timely information for that study.
The council approved the resolution to adopt the new winter averaging method by a 3–2 vote. Staff noted the utility has significant capital expenditures (the wastewater plant debt was discussed during the meeting) and that the method is intended to improve billing accuracy and administration.
Why it matters: The change affects how customers’ sewer bills are calculated; while per‑unit charges stay the same, the averaging method can alter individual bills and raise equity concerns for low‑income and multi‑tenant households.
Next steps: Staff will implement the automated one‑year averaging method, continue public outreach and incorporate the new data into a forthcoming rate study so the city can evaluate longer‑term rate structure options.
