Sewer Rate Hike in Rohnert Park: 56 Percent Proposed

So, Bob Reed, a sewer rate analyst hired by the city of Rohnert Park, said preliminarily on Feb. 15 that sewer rates must be increased 50 percent by January 2011. But, there’s a catch.

If OK’d by the City Council, it’ll be done in two stages: a 25 percent rate hike in July and another 25 percent increase in January. That means the second increase would be on the previously raised rate, so that comes to approximately a 56 percent hike total.

What does that mean for you? It depends. Nonresidential buildings owners’ rates will be based on little, medium and large amounts of water usage, and residential costs will be charged per gallon, instead $7.30 per 1,000 gallons as they currently are. The rate analyst said he doesn't have a specifics on dollar amounts for the new fees yet.

The city has been saying since Measure L passed in 2008 that the rates need to be increased — that the sewer reserve fund is being depleted by $10,000 a day, and is losing $3 million a year. The current sewer reserves, about $4.65 million, are estimated to be gone by 2012, which will result in the sewer charges being taken out of the general fund, and thus, equal a loss in critical city services such as police and fire or park maintenance.

So, officials have taken their time and refrained from raising the rates like before, in 2008. They think the , charged with informing the community of why the rates need to go up, are the answer.

The stakeholder group in the coming months will be to get the word out about raising the rates. It worked for Measure E, and it could work for the sewer rate increase, they said recently.

About 70 percent of the money residents are charged in their bimonthly bill pays 16 percent capacity at Santa Rosa’s Laguna Treatment Plant facility, according to Reed. The other monies are for a sewer reserve fund, emergency repairs and infrastructure improvements, and to pay for the city’s outstanding debt payments.

That comes to roughly $12 million a year in total costs to run the city’s sewer system, and ratepayers are currently paying about $8.2 million annually, collectively.

Reed said the goal is to have a 33 percent a minimum reserve in case something unexpected happens, and an annual sewer rate increase of 3 percent to reflect inflation.

"It's a big number," said Mayor Gina Belforte immediately after the Council meeting. "But there's a reality to it, we have to provide a healthy and safe environment. It's unfortunate at this time with our economy, but it's vital to the city."

"The people who voted yes on Measure L, voted for smaller government, but the issues we’re seeing now, with turning police and fire over to the county, and cutbacks at city hall — that’s what smaller government looks like," said Joe Gaffney, chair of the Sewer Fund Stakeholder's Group. "To not raise the sewer rates is totally unreasonable."

"I worked against measure L, so I understand what the ramifications of the lowering the sewer rates really are," said Councilmember Pam Stafford. "I also understand that people want a lower bill; but it's required by law to provide our sewer services and the law also says that we're not allowed to charge more for sewer service than what it costs."

"That's what we're asking for," Stafford said.

"This is going to be interesting," said John Hudson, an outspoken citizen against the rate increase. "Of course I’m against raising the rates, most people will be."

Rohnert Park's sewer charges have been touted as the lowest in Sonoma County, at about $38 month for a family of four, according to City Engineer Darrin Jenkins. Petaluma came in at $51 a month, Cotati came in at $65, Santa Rosa at $78 and Penngrove at $88 per month, on average.

Paul Liebu, a member of the citizen sewer taskforce, said that Jenkins' numbers are right. 

"I did my own analysis of most of the rate structures he reported, and I found them to be accurate," Liebu said.

Editor's note: Two additional meetings are scheduled to hear community input. They will be held on Feb. 22 and March 8. We at Rohnert Park Patch are following this story closely, and are intensely interested in the community's reaction. We encourage feedback in our comments section below.