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The Pleasanton City Council is set Tuesday to debate whether to activate new drought rates for all city water customers amid the ongoing supply shortage locally and statewide.
The Stage 2 water drought rates would add an extra charge of 65 cents per unit (centum cubic feet, or CCF) of water for single-family residential and irrigation customers, and 62 cents per unit for commercial and multifamily customers. If approved, the rates would take effect on May 1.
“The purpose of the Drought Rates is to help keep the City’s utility financially sustainable during a drought or water shortage emergency. Drought Rates help offset the revenue impacts of decreased consumption while also providing an additional incentive to conserve water and discourage wasteful or inefficient water use through pricing,” city officials said in their staff report to the council.
Council members in October declared a Stage 2 water shortage and mandated city users reduce their potable water usage by 15% during the drought, but they held off on imposing any drought rates or excess use penalties.
“Drought conditions continue to persist throughout California despite late 2021 precipitation which improved the water supply condition but not enough to reduce the mandatory 15% reduction target,” city officials said. “The increased precipitation has improved water supplies; however, water reservoirs are still continuing to recover which is driving the need for continued mandatory water use reductions.”
Pleasanton water customers met or exceeded the 15% reduction target in October through December, but usage ticked up to 8% above the baseline target in January, the last full month with data available, according to city staff.
The city’s water department is down $3.2 million in revenue this fiscal year compared to budget estimates, due in part to the 15% water conservation.
The council’s open meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday (March 15) via livestream.
In other business
* The council will discuss the future of a proposed new skate park at Ken Mercer Sports Park, a project that remains in the design phase.
City staff ask council members to review and consider giving approval to a final conceptual design, as well as offer clear direction on whether to proceed with completing the design phase or pausing until funding is identified to cover the estimated $8.5 million construction bill.
* Council members will provide direction on housing policy topics including the inclusionary zoning ordinance, lower-income housing fund, workforce housing, affordability by design and other city housing programs as part of its ongoing Housing Element update process.
* They will present proclamations declaring March as Arts in Education Month as well as March for Meals Month, and April as Arts, Culture and Creativity Month in Pleasanton
* As part of a 16-item consent calendar, the council will consider the final adoption of the City Council districting map, formally confirming the 3-2 decision from the March 1 meeting to advance with the so-called Tangerine map.
Another way to insure revenue, in addition to raising rates, would be to mandate more housing, thus more revenue. But then again where would we get the water to supply the new homeowners, from the new storage we have needed since our last drought?
More housing create more heat coz when people move in they will sure use cars, air conditioners more roads those things added more heat as soon as the temperature rise. And before the year end there will be fires around make our fresh water disappear even more.
I would encourage people to minimize instead because the more we minimize the more the environment will love us. And the benefits sure will give us happy and clean environment.