On tap: another water rate increase.
Despite a rare refusal by water district clients to endorse the request, the Sonoma County Water Agency will move forward with a plan to raise rates by about eight percent beginning in July. The county Board of Supervisors, sitting as the water agency board, will likely confirm the hike on April 20.
The eight-member Water Advisory Committee heard the agency’s budget request Monday. Representatives from Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Cotati and Santa Rosa voted against the hike. The Valley of the Moon Water District (VOMWD) and the city of Sonoma, along with Windsor and the North Marin district, voted in favor.
The split vote, even for a non-binding recommendation, signals discontent among the agency contractors. “In years past, there has always been a unanimous decision” to approve the budget, said VOMWD General Manager Krishna Kumar.
“It’s been a difficult year,” said Kumar, who felt the increase was fair. “Cities have been forced to make cuts in their own budget, and they want the water agency to do the same.”
Significant reductions have indeed been made, according to Mike Thompson, the agency’s deputy chief engineer. He told The Sun that labor costs have been reduced through cuts to staff and salaries, and a mandatory furlough program.
The agency forecasts the sale of water on par with last year’s total of 49,000 acre-feet. The rate hike would generate $400,000 toward a total agency budget of $2.1 million.
The $400,000 figure is what it will take to operate all six of the collector facilities on the Russian River, Thompson said. Last summer, three of those pumps were shut down to save money. Water contractors questioned the move at the time, worried that it could have dangerously limited the ability to meet peak demands.
“We turned off half of our supply facilities on the river,” Thompson said. “This year we will turn them back on.”
The water agency has raised rates essentially “every year,” said Kumar. A year ago, the VOMD passed along a seven percent increase to local customers.
Adding to the debate is that the requested hike comes at a time when the contractors are buying less water than in previous years. Three years ago, the agency’s total delivery was 65,000 acre-feet. The 2010-2011 figure is about 24 percent less.
To Kumar, the rate increase is a function of economics – and successful conservation efforts. “The primary driver in the increase is that they are selling less water,” he said. For Thompson, “It’s a combination of selling less water and being asked to operate more facilities.”
