At its meeting on September 27, the Governing Board (Board) of Sweetwater Authority (Authority) accepted the 2023 rate study, which proposes a water rate structure for the following three calendar years and determines the cost of providing water service and the revenue required to maintain current water service levels.
Based on the study, rate adjustments to water service charges are proposed to maintain water service operations and infrastructure, conduct necessary repairs and improvements on our aging water system, and account for the rising costs of treating and delivering water.
Despite a 9.5% increase in San Diego County Water Authority’s imported water costs, the Authority is proposing implementation of an additional 0.5% in revenues starting on January 1, 2024, a 6% increase in revenues on January 1, 2025, and a 6.5% increase in revenues on January 1, 2026. This more moderate increase is a direct result of the Board’s commitment to leverage costs-savings associated with maintaining a local water supply.
The Governing Board is scheduled to vote on the proposed rate adjustments at a public hearing on Wednesday, December 6, at 5:00 p.m. Proposition 218 requires local governments to provide written notice of a proposed rate adjustment by mail to its customers no less than 45 days before holding a public hearing on the proposed rate adjustment. The required notices will be mailed to all customers no later than October 16. If approved at the public hearing, new rates would go into effect on January 1, 2024. The Prop 218 notice will be available in English, Spanish and Tagalog on the Authority’s website.
For a copy of the approved rate study and more information on the proposed rate adjustments, including the Proposition 218 notice and a Bill Estimator once available, please visit www.sweetwater.org/ratestudy.