OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) – Water rates in Oceanside could be going up at the start of next year.
"We are going to Council on Wednesday evening, with a resolution to ask for approval and a vote on these increases so we can do those effective in January,” Fred Mayo, the Oceanside Water Utilities Director, said.
That's if the city council decides to give the increase the green light.
Some have different opinions with where their rates stand now.
"The water rates here, I think, are very economical currently,” A woman named Jane who lives in Oceanside told ABC 10News.
"The water prices have definitely jumped, as well as electricity, probably on average $150, $200,” Kingsland Gardner, Oceanside Resident, said.
Mayo told ABC 10News they're asking Council to raise the rates on both water and wastewater rates for multiple reasons. They included the cost to buy water from the county water authority and the cost of projects that are on the books.
"We're looking at starting in January on council's approval, replacing about 13,000 linear feet of piping of a wastewater pipe and another roughly 7000 ft. So that's about 5 miles of new pipeline that we're going to be replacing in the downtown area which is an upgrade and replace aging infrastructure,” Mayo said.
To put things in perspective for Oceanside residents, if you're a single-family homeowner, what you're paying on average per month is around $93, according to the City’s staff report. The City said if these new rates were to happen, the monthly rate next year would go up to around $105, and then the following year, that would go up to around $115 per month.
"The cost of the chemicals that we use to pull out the dirt and the impurities out of the water and ,to make it safe to drink, all those have gone up, like I said ,about 14%, and energy costs. We've all suffered from the same fate on that as well,” Mayo said.
Those drinking and using the water have different opinions on a possible rate hike.
"I think if I have to pay another $2, what is a cubic meter rate, to have water come to my tap, clean, fresh water. I’m going to do it. I'll forego my Starbucks coffee,” Jane said.
"All the, you know, utility companies. I don't think they should keep raising it on people. It's absurd, you know, I think they should be more fair about it for sure,” Gardner said.
