Typical home's sewer charge would rise about $29 a bill in January under a plan up for a Nov. 17 hearing

Pleasanton homeowners would see the city's share of their sewer bill nearly double in January under a four-year rate plan the City Council is set to take up after a public hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

For a typical single-family home, the city's fixed collection charge would climb from roughly $31 to about $57 every two months, an increase of about $25.50 per billing cycle. Counting the regional treatment charge from the Dublin San Ramon Services District, the combined bimonthly bill would go from $93.28 to $122.61, according to the city's sewer rate page.

Who pays what

The first-year changes would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, with smaller increases each July after that through fiscal 2030. Proposed first-year bimonthly charges include:

| Customer | Now | Proposed | |---|---|---| | Single-family (city plus DSRSD) | $93.28 | $122.61 | | Condominium | $21.65 | $39.51 | | Multifamily unit | $16.49 | $39.51 | | Office or retail (combined) | $499.94 | $741.18 | | Full-service restaurant (combined) | $1,332.74 | $1,704.24 |

Commercial and industrial customers would move to a single collection rate tied to their actual water use, with a $39.51 bimonthly minimum. Pleasanton Unified's non-submetered school sites would see a slight decrease, the Pleasanton Weekly reported.

The city's case

City staff say sewer rates have only tracked inflation for years, rising a total of $5.58 since 2019, and that the approach did not cover the cost of maintaining and replacing aging pipes. The city estimates rehabilitation and replacement needs at more than $55 million over four years.

About half the increase would pay for capital projects and related debt, with the rest covering rising operating costs and existing deficits, according to the city. The plan grew out of the city's first comprehensive sewer rate study, done by Water Resources Economics.

Pushback

Not everyone is on board. Speaking at the council's Oct. 20 meeting, 30-year resident Andrew Blythe said he supported a reliable sewer system but did not think the plan was fair to residents, the Pleasanton Weekly reported. He objected to the size of the first-year jump and the lack of a cap on later increases, and urged a slower phase-in.

Other residents online questioned adding to household costs and said the city should budget better instead, according to the Weekly.

How to weigh in

The city mailed the state-required Proposition 218 notice to property owners and customers in September. Residents may file written protests up to the hearing and can also speak at the 7 p.m. meeting.

The council will separately consider raising one-time sewer connection fees for new development that night; the single-family fee would go from $556.24 to $2,250, and those fees are not part of the protest process.

Sources

cityofpleasantonca.gov

pleasantonweekly.com

cityofpleasantonca.gov