Politics & Government

City Council to Consider Water Rate Hike

City staff will present recommendations for a 28.5 percent increase to the city's average water user during tonight's City Council meeting.

The Glendora City Council will listen to a presentation on the Water Commission’s recommended water rate plan 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.

According to city staff reports, the new water rate case represents an overall 28.5 percent increase for the average user.

The council will consider spreading the increases over a 3-year or 5-year plan. The Commission, which approved a recommendation for a 3-year plan at its June 15 meeting, considered spreading the costs over a five-year plan rather than three. But the majority of the commission members believed a three-year plan would move the city closer toward its goal of a pay-as-go system earlier.

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At the end of the three or five years, water rates are expected to level and future increases will be levied due to inflation, or increased costs for purchased water and energy, according to city staff reports

City staff recommends an automatic annual adjustment for inflation, with energy costs and purchased water included in the rates.

Find out what's happening in Glendorawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This year, the energy rates jumped 4 percent. According to staff reports, the city under-collected on energy rates.

According to numbers presented in June, under a 3-year plan, a customer using the baseline of 30 units of water could see a bimonthly bill of $114, a $7 increase from the previous year. A customer using the average of 45 units of water could see a bimonthly bill of $142, a $10 increase. Rates could jump as high as 12 percent for customers using 60 or more units of water.

Under the three-year plan, the rates would steadily increase each year – 9 to 11 percent in 2013 and 2014 – until stabilizing to 2 to 3 percent during 2015 and 2016.

By 2016, customers’ bimonthly bills will range from $143 to $236.

Board members pointed out that difference in costs between a three-year plan verses a five-year plan were very minimal.

“I am somewhat indifferent [to a three-year or five-year plan],” said Commission Chair Neil Shockey. “My concerns is let’s make sure that we have rates in place to get us to a pay-as-you-go system, be it a three or five year program. At the end of the day, it probably doesn’t matter which one we choose.”

While the city has operated with its own water supply  it still relies on a supply of water from the Municipal Water District, whose rates have increased by 7 percent.

A notice of public hearing regarding the proposed water rate increase will be mailed out to residents at least 45 days prior to the public hearing.


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