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Letter to the editor: Is the city’s water rate increase justified? 

letter to the editor

To the editor,

– I recently attended the city council meeting where they would discuss a water rate increase. I was a bit surprised to see that the item was number 19 on the meeting agenda. I left and later called on the phone line to present my concerns.

The water department presented a study to justify their requested rate increase. The study never discussed the new residential development currently underway. 1300 new homes are projected to be built within five to ten years and an additional 800 homes soon to be underway. The city charges $19,000 for a residential water meter connection with no construction cost to the city. This will bring in over $24,000,000 for the initial 1300 homes and an additional $14,000,000+ for the next 800 homes, a total of over $38,000,000 in water fees.

This information was never disclosed in the water department study. Was this a simple oversight, an incompetent group that delivered the study, or intentional? By phone, I pointed out this tremendous amount of undisclosed funding into the water department and asked the council to postpone their vote pending additional information. As you know this did not happen. It is my understanding that the council must vote based on formal information that is presented to them by the city at council meetings.

I do not feel this water rate increase is justified and the citizens do not know the true facts.

Darrell Cooper, concerned citizen,
Paso Robles

 

Editor’s note: Opinion pieces and letters to the editor are the personal opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Paso Robles Daily News or its staff. We welcome letters from local residents regarding relevant local topics. To submit one, click here.

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