Measure U is About a Fair Water Rate Increase
By James Bahn
Though I am a volunteer member of the SLV Water District Finance Committee, I’m writing this just as a neighbor and fellow rate-payer. I’m going to try to describe what Measure U is and is not. And unlike some of the fear-mongering rhetoric being thrown around by opponents, I’m sticking to facts, plus a prediction.
I’m actually a big fan of the district, having enjoyed reliable and clean water since 1989, and this doesn’t happen by accident. So, hats off to the management and staff. Having said that, I believe that district management is better at supplying water than crafting fair rates.
First, the rate increase recently passed is unfair. Using the district’s own figures from the December 2023 report to the board, someone using 2 units per month would pay $41.37 per unit and someone using 6 units would pay $20.62 per unit. So a single person with a small lot and tiny garden is subsidizing the big water user with an almond orchard and Olympic-sized swimming pool. Candidly, this has always been true; the rate increase on the fixed fee portion of your bill just makes it worse.
Second, Measure U is NOT a referendum against rate increases. The Measure U proponents realize that we DO need a rate increase in order to keep up with rising costs. Measure U is a referendum against the unfair rate increase, NOT all rate increases.
Third, Measure U was necessary because of Prop 218, which makes it almost impossible for a California water district to see a rate increase proposal fail. Hypothetically speaking, if there are 8,000 registered rate-paying voters in a district, and 4,000 of them vote AGAINST a rate increase, and zero of them vote FOR a rate increase, it passes anyway. To fail, it would take 4,000 + 1 votes “against.” California water districts know that any proposal is likely to pass, and in fact, it’s incredibly rare for any rate proposal to fail. Measure U is simply an attempt to inject democracy into the process. The side with the most votes wins. Like democracy is supposed to function.
Fourth, the current rate increase hits the people who can least afford it the hardest. They are already being hit by PGE rate increases plus the recent rise in inflation. Some locals have written about the risk of being forced out of their homes by rising prices.
Fifth, despite fear-mongering that’s appeared recently, Measure U will NOT put your water at risk. Here’s my prediction should it pass. The smart people running the district won’t sit on their hands, they’ll propose another rate increase immediately. But having heard from the voters, their new proposal will be fairer; it will not unfairly burden customers who don’t use much water. And it will pass, so at worst, the district will miss out on the increased revenues from the fixed fees for a few months. According to the latest district budget, they have many millions of unrestricted funds in the bank. The budget projection shows approximately. $12M per year of operating revenues. If you assume that the fixed fee portion of increase for a few months is lost, then the district will be out less than $500K, a small portion of expected revenues. With the millions in the bank, plus the ability to borrow money in case of another major catastrophe, there’s plenty of money available to tide the district over until a fair rate increase is passed.
A vote for Measure U is a vote for fairness, affordability, and water conservation. See slvh2o.org for more information.
James Bahn is a Ben Lomond resident and a volunteer member of the SLV Water District Finance Committee.
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