Sunday, May 12, 2013

Pacifica is being knocked out of the highest sewer rate category in San Mateo County


Remember when they felt sorry for us?
The 8/1/13 fiscal year (FY) minimum sewer rate for Redwood City will likely increase to $756.96, and  to $807.46 in San Carlos (see the related article below). Compare to Pacifica at $567.18.   

"Palo Alto Daily News/Peninsula/Bonnie Eslinger, Staff, 5/10/13.  "Redwood City's sewer and water rates could rise by 30 percent in three years."

....  The minimum monthly sewage service charge of $57.88 would increase by $5.20 the first year, $5.68 more on July 1, 2014, and an extra $6.18 on July 1, 2015. In the third year, the sewage service charge would be $74.95 per month.

How does that rate calculation work?
Water and sewage rates annually rose by 9 percent since 2009 until last year, when they went up 12 percent, according to city spokesman Malcolm Smith.

The city says it needs to charge higher rates to pay for a $4.3 billion upgrade to the Hetch Hetchy water system that supplies Redwood City, as well as to cover higher labor costs, repair work, and capital improvements to the city's water delivery and sewer systems and to a regional wastewater treatment plant that Redwood City uses."  Read article.

Related Fix Pacifica reprint - Palo Alto Daily News/Peninsula, 4/9/13, San Carlos minimum sewer rate increase to $807.46.  Pacifica City Council meeting, 3/11/13, Sewer rate notification, no increase FY 2013-14.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

2 comments:

Lionel Emde said...

Pacifica never had the highest sewer rate in the county. We have, according to the last survey which appeared in a San Bruno city council packet, the third-highest sewer rate in the county. Nos. one and two are Hillsborough and a small hilly part of Burlingame.

Of course, this readily available information will never appear in a Pacifica city council packet, as context is forbidden when gouging the locals.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I've always thought of us as the Hillsborough of the coast. Thanks for keeping it real, Lionel!