Sonoma City Council approves ‘modest’ water rate hike

Seeking lost water revenue, SCWA points divining rod at ratepayers|

Sonoma County water users braved last year’s drought conditions and decreased their H2O take by 20 percent.

Their reward? The gratifying feeling of a job well done – and a nifty bump in water rates to make up for lost revenue to the Sonoma County Water Agency.

The Sonoma City Council on May 3 approved a 0.8 percent hike in water rates for city customers – an amount city staff described as “modest” in comparison to the 20 percent water-revenue shortfall in the county water coffers. Under the Water Agency’s budget, that shortfall means the City of Sonoma’s wholesale water costs will rise for the 2016-2017 year by 6.9 percent, which is notably more than the 4 percent annual wholesale increase the city budgeted for. To make up the difference, state law allows for the City to “pass through” the difference to customers, which given that about 25 percent of customers’ payments goes to purchase water, results in the 0.8 percent rate increase.

According to a report by the Sonoma Public Works Department, the city’s 6.9 percent wholesale rate increase is higher than in Santa Rosa and Petaluma due to “larger contributions to capital charges,” such as funding the Sonoma Booster Station Improvement Project.

“The current capital fund balance for the Sonoma Valley Aqueduct,” Public Works officials said in the staff report on the rate hike, “is hovering near zero.” In other words, the City of Sonoma needs to save for a rainy day – literally.

The report also stressed that the Sonoma County Water Agency’s rate increase is “less than a third of other Bay Area water agencies,” some of which are seeking 20 to 30 percent wholesale rate hikes.

The Council approved the rate increase in a 5-0 vote.

Still, not everyone on the City Council was happy to be increasing rates – even a mere 0.8 percent – on customers who’d responsibly conserved during a drought.

Councilmember David Cook couched his vote with regret over increasing the rate because of responsible usage.

“When you tell people to conserve, but then you raise the rate because of it, it sends a bad message,” said Cook. “We ask people to conserve – sometimes government needs to conserve also.”

Mayor Laurie Gallian, however, praised the way the Sonoma County Water Agency has improved its operations over the years.

“I’ve seen the water agency be very diligent in having a tight budget,” said Gallian. “And we as citizens in the City of Sonoma are doing our part. Conservation does pay.”

The new rates will take effect July 1; a notice of the adjustment will be mailed to customers with their water bills.

Email Jason at jason.walsh@ sonomanews.com.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.