Letter to the Editor: Protest the Sanitary District Increase

This letter to the editor originally ran on and in the Marin Independent Journal. It is rerun here.

A state law, Proposition 218, which allows the Ross Valley Sanitary District to increase sewer rates, is unfair.

It allows a large rate increase of about 60 percent to be approved — unless a majority of property owners protest, in writing, by June 28.

It is my opinion that the board's explanations for the rate increase are not credible and that the notice is misleading with no analysis.

For example, the district rate increase notice states:

"The purpose of this rate increase is primarily to maintain existing service and cover increased rates from CMSA. CMSA's rate has increased 25 percent since 2008."

In fact, the 25 percent increase mentioned has been and is included in the current sewer rate and Central Marin Sanitation Agency rate increases are projected at only 2 percent for the next few years.

There is no reason for a 60-percent rate increase based on 2 percent annual pass-through from CMSA. This logic does not add up.

There are other misleading statements in the rate increase notice.

The stated claim of "historic progress" and having "replaced and repaired more pipe in the last five years than any other Marin agency." Based on my review of public information, the poor condition of the collection system and its badly needed repair were the purpose of doubling rates in 2008. In fact, notwithstanding the project that spilled nearly 3 million gallons of sewage in December, there is little evidence of actual spending on those repairs.

The notice also claims the district is making "prudent investments."

"Prudent" is not:

• Paying $300,000 per year in salary and benefits for a manager, increasing staffing over 50 percent and increasing salaries 24 percent, buying a new $3.5 Million building outside the district, while all other agencies cut back.

• Spending legal fees at $2 million a year, 100 times the average for similar agencies.

• Borrowing $13.3 million against surplus property, contracting to sell it, contaminating it, getting sued and paying damages of $4.5 million.

• Paying over $100,000 to lobbyists and publicists.

Also, the district says it is "studying a flow based rate" while charging rental units the same $923 per dwelling as owners of mansions. The district should correct this before proposing a rate increase.

For these reasons, I encourage all district property owners to mail a protest to the rate increase proposed by the Ross Valley Sanitary District No. 1.