Letter: Water rate hike is unfair
Editor: After reading the city’s 2014 Water Rate Study, I must again call on Sonoma’s water service customers to join me in protesting against the proposed higher water rates. I strongly objected to these in 2012 and the City Council voted not to implement the increases then. From my viewpoint as a small residential user, the new proposed rate structure makes no more sense than the previous one. Except for steepening the rate increases for higher usage and lessening these for low usage over the next five years, the real problem with the water rate structure is left unchallenged: namely, that fixed service fees, which have nothing to do with usage, are used as a major revenue stream for the water service “regardless of the amount of water used.” By their very name, utility costs should be based on usage; the high fixed service fee places an unfair burden on low water users.
The new proposals are also contrary to stated objectives of the current study to “encourage reduced water usage of all (!) water users” and to “determine a fair and equitable allocation of water system costs to ratepayers.” The study indicates that fixed costs of the water system are estimated at 20 percent and “the remaining 80 percent” of the costs [are] to be recovered from volume charges.” But the reality for households with low water usage is very different. According to census figures, single-family residences make up over half of Sonoma households and the average household size here is only 2.07 persons. Presumably that includes the one-quarter of Sonoma residents who are seniors, probably retired and on a fixed income. It is for these smaller households of generally low water users where the fixed water fee is an inequitable and unacceptable percentage of the water bill.
In my own case, 60 percent of my water bill has been for the fixed fee in recent years. This year, as I reduced my usage further to conserve water, the fixed fee (no longer shown separately in the new monthly billings) has gone up to 66 percent of the total bill. The proposed new fixed fee for the usual residential meter size will increase by another 11 percent in 2015 and a total of 35 percent by 2019, so the fixed fee portion of my water bill will become even greater during these coming years. This is neither fair nor an incentive to conserve water.
I appreciate that the water infrastructure must be maintained and that some adjustments in rates may be needed periodically, but not in this way — on the backs of those who are already using the least amounts. Mail or deliver your protest to the City Clerk as indicated in the public hearing notice you received.
Gerry Simmel
Sonoma
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In addition to Gerry’s comment: Sonoma has the highest per capita water use of any Sonoma County city, this set against lots of folks who are conserving but feel their efforts are missing the mark. Are these water conservers subsidizing development and tourism? Who is it who is using the water to make Sonoma’s per capita relatively so high?
Those on the Sonoma Aqueduct are a captive audience. Their common water use is thrown in with all uses of aqueduct delivered water. If i was a rate payer on this system i would want to see a clear breakdown of who is using what (a per capita breakdown) and a progressive rate structure that did reward conservation, not a regressive structure of flat rates that discriminate against the least wealthy.
With progressive billing, the highest volume users would pay way more. To me it all rests on keeping a per capita figure cost low for the minimum use, and then raising the cost dramatically after that.
Furthermore, if the city requires trees to be replaced, i.e. requires that the current canopy be maintained, the cost of the volume of water to irrigate these trees should stay at the lowest rate, or else do away with the re-planting requirement if people decide to get rid of trees.