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Pleasanton homeowners could see their bimonthly sewer bills rise by nearly $30 under proposed rate increases set to be considered by the City Council next month.
The council is set to vote on the increases at its Nov. 17 meeting, following a public hearing in which residents can voice their opposition to the proposed rate changes. Residents can also submit written protests to the city up to the date of the hearing.
The city sent out a mandated Proposition 218 notice last month informing residents that the proposed bimonthly fixed charge for single-family homes will increase from about $31 to $57 during the first year of the proposed sewer rate schedule. That number will go up by several dollars annually until it reaches nearly $76 in 2030. If approved, the first-year increases would take effect Jan. 1, while subsequent increases would take effect on July 1 annually.
Some residents have already pushed back against the rate increases, saying the higher prices are unfair and that the city should do a better job of budgeting its money instead of asking residents to bear the financial burden of infrastructure improvements.
“I support a reliable sewer, and the capital to meet that, but I don’t think this plan is … fair to the citizens of Pleasanton,” 30-year Pleasanton resident Andrew Blythe said during public comment at the Oct. 20 City Council meeting.
Blythe said he rejected the first-year increase and criticized the schedule for not capping the increases.
He said he would instead support a slower, phased approach to raising the rates. Others on social media have criticized the city for adding more financial burden to residents who are already dealing with inflation and the high cost of living.
The proposed increase is the last step in what has been a years-long process to update the city’s water and sewer rates in order to increase funding for operating, maintaining and fixing up the city’s sewer system.
Two years ago, the city contracted with Water Resources Economics to develop a 2026 Sewer Rate Study, Pleasanton’s first comprehensive sewer rate study and cost-of-service analysis. The city previously worked with the consulting firm to develop water rate increases in 2023.
According to city documents, the study was meant to “establish cost-based, fair and legally defensible rates and connection fees that support the long-term financial sustainability of the city’s sewer program.”
“Sewer rates pay to operate, repair and replace the system, much of which was built decades ago and needs significant rehabilitation and replacement,” according to a July 29 city press release.
“Historically, the city has adjusted its sewer collection rates annually based only on inflation, resulting in a total increase of just $5.58 since 2019,” the release said. “These increases have not kept pace with growing operating costs, rising regulatory requirements and the long-term needs of the aging system.”
The study also identified suggestions to simplify the city’s commercial rate structure and combine condominium and multifamily residential customers into a single rate category.
During that year’s long process, the City Council spent hours across several different meetings discussing the proposed rate changes, how they would be phased and how the revenue would be used to address the city’s aging sewer infrastructure needs.
This process involved adopting a Sewer System Management Plan, a long-term Sewer Capital Improvement Plan and a financial plan, all of which are contingent on the sewer rates being approved next month.
The proposal also increases bimonthly rates for condominiums, from a fixed charge of $21.65 to $39.51, and multifamily homes, from a fixed charge of $16.49 to $39.50 in the first year. By 2030, the bimonthly fixed rates would be $52.61 for both.
Under the proposed rate schedule, the Pleasanton Unified School District would see a slight decrease in costs for non-submetered school sites.
The council previously expressed support for the increases, saying the money would help address critical infrastructure needs while also noting the increased rates in Pleasanton would be comparable to those charged by the city of Livermore and the Dublin San Ramon Services District.
The City Council on Nov. 17 will also consider increasing the city’s sewer connection fees, which are one-time charges paid when new development connects to the city’s sewer system. The connection fees are not part of the Proposition 218 public hearing and will be considered separately by the council.
