The adoption of budget and rates for the Fiscal Year of 2021 will be considered by the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners during its Thursday, June 18 meeting according to a press release.
The possible approval of a 6% adjustment in water rates will be considered by the Board at this meeting and will depend on a public hearing and adoption by the City Council.
The press release noted that sewer rates will not increase.
“The Board of Water Commissioners values transparency, accountability and financial prudence when establishing the Water Department’s annual budget and rates,” said Harry Saltzgaver, president of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners in the press release. “In the next fiscal year’s budget we will be prioritizing investments in groundwater sources with new and refurbished wells and replacing aging infrastructure that includes more than 1,800 miles of pipeline and storage tanks, so we can reduce our reliance on more expensive, imported water sources.”
“We understand that COVID-19 has hit our community members in unprecedented ways,” said Chris Garner, general manager of the Long Beach Water Department in the press release. “The Water Department has taken significant action to reduce costs by more than $9.6 million so as to mitigate the increase in water rates.”
Some of the reductions listed are as follows:
-Deferrals in the Capital Improvement Program ($5.3 million) and vehicle replacements ($1.5 million)
-Discretionary reductions in various contractor costs, in staff and Board travel costs, memberships in trade organizations, community sponsorships and advertising, totaling over $827k in cost reductions
-Reductions in overall payments to the city
According to the press release, the overall water bill in Long Beach is $54 per month, its water rates continue to rank among the lowest compared to other large cities in California. This includes Los Angeles, San Diego, and Northern cities San Jose and Oakland.
Two public workshops have been held by the Board on Thursday, May 21, and Thursday, May 28, and a third one will take place on Thursday, June 18 to talk about setting budget and rates for Fiscal Year 21.
The Long Beach Water Department will have a public hearing on Thursday, Aug. 27, in accordance with state law, to review public protest of the proposed increases to Long Beach’s water rates.
According to the press release, a Proposition 218 notice will be mailed “all water account owners” with further details about the Aug. public hearing, 45 days prior.
The notice will also include the proposed rate increase and method to file a protest on the proposed adjustments.
