Water rates headed up in Placer County?

Auburn, Calif – Directors of the Placer County Water Agency on Thursday (Aug. 21) initiated a 45-day outreach process to notify customers and property owners that water rate increases will be considered for 2009.

PCWA Director of Financial Services Joseph H. Parker said staff and the board’s Finance Committee considered inflationary trends, including significantly higher costs for fuels and construction materials; and needs to upgrade aging water system infrastructure.

Parker said rate increases in the 3-4 percent range may be needed for the agency to keep pace with increasing costs and to maintain good levels of public service.

As required by Proposition 218, an extensive public notification process will be conducted.  A 2004 court ruling determined that water rates and fees were subject to terms of the proposition.

Under the proposed budget and rate schedule, notification letters will be mailed over the next few weeks and public hearings will be held on Oct. 16 (water rates not applicable to Prop. 218) and Nov. 6 (rates applicable to Prop. 218).  A Nov. 20 public hearing on the proposed 2009 budget will be followed by adoption of the budget.

In other business, directors:

• authorized staff to notify the City of Rocklin that the water agency has sufficient water supplies to serve the proposed Whitney Ranch Phase II development.  Located north of Stanford Ranch, the 641-acre development would include 1663 single family homes, two school sites and commercial and recreational land uses.  Officials said it would use about 1.5 million gallons of water per day.
• heard an update from Director of Technical Services Brian Martin on the agency’s current GIS (geographical information systems) mapping project.  It is expected to take a few years to complete GIS mapping of the entire water system, Martin said.

PCWA board meetings are open to the public.  Board meeting information is available through the Clerk to the Board at (530) 823-4850.