San Bruno sewer and water rates are going-up

According to a San Bruno reference chart, Pacifica has the #2 highest sewer and water rates in San Mateo county as of 9/10.

Article from San Mateo Times/Joshua Melvin, 3/15/12. "Sewer, water rates headed up in San Bruno." 

As part of an effort to replace San Bruno's aging sewer and water system, rate payers could see their bills climb by more than 50 percent in the next five years.

Not such a good trick after all.

Officials are moving forward with a plan to push bimonthly rates up from $10 to $15 per year until 2017. This week, the City Council approved sending out notices to rate payers that would allow them to protest the proposed increases. A majority of the more than 13,000 city rate payers would have to object in order to block the hikes.

An average household spends about $105.08 every two months on water. Under the new rates, that same family would pay $10 to $14 more each year until 2017, when their bill would hit $168.84, according to city projections. That's a 60 percent total increase over that period. For sewer, the increase from a current average of $112.30 to $175.26 every two months would happen over the same five-year period. The hikes would happen in $10 to $15 increments, topping out in 2017, according to city records. It's a 56 percent climb from current rates.

Mayor Jim Ruane said the money will pay for replacing pipes, some of which are 100 years old, and pumping facilities. He said the council has tried to space the increases out in order to avoid a massive bump. The new rates would bring in about $10.7 million for the water system and $11.9 million for the sewers."We have to do it gradually," he said. "Even though a nine-something percent increase doesn't seem gradual."

San Bruno is on the higher side of a city-generated chart that shows sewer rates for 21 Peninsula cities. Most are from $40 to $70 per month, including San Bruno. The extreme ends of the chart show Palo Alto at $27 a month and Hillsborough at $138, according to city data.
San Bruno resident Alan Lubke said the increases are steep, but he doesn't plan to oppose them.

Reference:  San Mateo County wastewater and water rates chart from the City of San Bruno.

Hillsborough has the #1 highest cost for wastewater: Burlingame has the #1 highest cost for water.

Posted by Kathy Meeh