Let's see......raise our water rates 33% by Jan., 2016, but keep building houses, etc. in the Tri-Valley?? Let's stop the building before our Infrastructure fails! Dublin is adding 8,700 more homes to their already over-crowded City!! And if the MEGA El NINO comes, we will all have flooding?? No loss here in Pleasanton as we are moving out of CA. soon......

We'll need to remember who voted for this absurd increase when elections for Zone 7 Board members are held next June!!

Large rate increases aren't any surprise, are they? If nearly everyone in the community is cutting back their water use by about 25% to 30%, then Zone 7 has to increase their rates by about 25% to 30% in order to maintain their revenue. That's not rocket science, is it?

Zone 7 should look at the overly generous retirement benefits they are paying themselves and their workers. When public workers retire in their early 50's, you are I support them for the rest of their lives. This is not sustainable. The talk of "cutting to the bone" is rhetoric.

aren't there laws against jacking up prices during catastrophes? For life essentials like water.

True if the only issue is one year revenue decline due to the drought. Who thinks the 30% will ever go away when it starts raining?

The bigger issues are lack of policy and management discipline to control expenses which is the other half of the rate equation. Then toss in the recent grand jury indictment, lack of openness and transparency, spending $25 million for hillside property that will never be used, and now they want 30% more?

It's really time for Supervisor Haggery and the Alameda County Boad of Supervisors to step in and take back control of this hidden agency for the sake of the people

Just raise the rates and keep on building. Bring in more people when we don't have enough water here now. What do these people have in their heads for brains. If you don't have enough to supply what's here why in hell add more people.

Do what I do-

1.Fill up water bottles at the various fountains parks/mall.
2.Take showers @ the gym + fill more water bottles.
3. Ask for glass/cup of water @ the various eating establishments.
4. use toilets @ safeway + 1 2 or 3 above.

Yeah I know my way is "a bit extreme", but with bridge tolls and other rates increasing + wages staying flat, it is a viable alternative to cutting back on groceries.

PS- I also carpool to help damper the bridge tolls.

@kbenson:

GOOD JOB.

My water bill is cheap. What are you guys talking about?

With all due respect to the previous two posters… You're not saving water. You're just using water that other people are paying for...

@John,

People aren't the problem; They are only a tiny fraction of the water usage. Most is agriculture and environmental use.

We can add a lot more people and only add negligible water use.

One Word- ENTITLEMENTS...

I'm sure when the reservoirs fill up, rates will drop?

Let's see......raise our water rates 33% by Jan., 2016, but keep building houses, etc. in the Tri-Valley?? STOP the building before our Infrastructure fails! Dublin is adding 8,700 more homes to their already over-crowded City!! And if the MEGA El NINO comes, we will all have flooding??
The prices will go up and never decrease, this is BULL$$%Y@^A#&^$59P8!!!!!!!!!!

LET IT RAIN!

It is utterly ridiculous that we have to pay more. What can we do? We save water so we can prevent running out of water and avoid paying fines. We accomplish this task and now we have to pay even more because the Zone 7 business model doesn't support lower water usage and they can't close their budget because they need to do maintenance on their existing (but aging system). Or it is because some other budget line item (not to be mentioned here due to political sensitivity) is going through the roof. If this was a business, you revenue income is decreasing due to water conservation, a revised business model and implement mitigation plan. A business doesn't raise prices just because revenue income decreases. Can anyone imagine if this happens to all the businesses?

As you probably know, the Zone 7 charge is the smallest part of our bi monthly Water Bill in Pleasanton. Saying a water bill goes up 33% doesn't mean the bill you get will go up 33%.

It would have been helpful if the article mentioned the specific amounts not just the shock value of saying a 33% increase.

For instance, how much is the average charge for Zone 7 in our bills now and how much will they be given a 33% increase.

Let’s see if I got this straight:
We pay taxes and fees for water and other utilities. Adequate storage facilities for our growing population are not built. When water is in short supply they mandate conservation. Then when we conserve water as instructed, they raise rates because they aren't making enough money since we are conserving as they mandated. This is theft.

Since we are doing such a good job of conservation, why let a good crisis go waste.

Proposed basic water rate / unit :
$3.68 (Zone7) + $2.56 (Pleasanton drought surcharge) = $6.24 vs. $2.36 today

This does not include the Pleasanton "distribution charges" ~$1/ unit or more

Zone 7 : Wants a 33 percent rate increase in 2016.
$2.36 /unit ->$3.15, 2017 rise to $3.45, 2018 rise to $3.68 / unit (55% hike)

This hike will be automatically passed on by Pleasanton, which reviews rates only once every 5 years (Oct 6th 2015, 7.pm City council chambers is the next review which conveniently does not include above and includes the hike only till $2.62)

Pleasanton: Not to be left behind wants to implement the "Drought surcharge". starting Oct 2015 of $2.56/unit (for stage 4 drought). This is over and above the $2.62 /unit regular charge.

These are *baseline charges* & separate from the penalties (up to $16/ every unit used).

Fed Up with the gouging

Never let a good crisis go waste !

Since we are doing such a good job of conservation, why let a good crisis go waste.
Am i only one Fed Up with the gouging planned (because conservation is working).

1) Proposed basic water rate / unit : for 2016
$3.15 (Zone7) + $2.56 (Pleasanton drought surcharge) = $5.17 vs. $2.36 today.
This ensure that everyone who uses even a unit of water is gouged, conservation be damned.

A) Zone 7 : Wants a 33 percent rate increase in 2016. $2.36 /unit ->$3.15, (33% hike)
in 2017 it rises to $3.45, 2018 it rises to $3.68 / unit (56% hike)

Above Zone 7 hikes planned for next year will be automatically "passed on" by Pleasanton, which conveniently reviews rates only once every 5 years.

B) Pleasanton: Not to be left behind, wants to implement the "Drought surcharge". starting Oct 2015 of $2.56/unit (for stage 4 drought). This is over and above the $2.62 /unit Zone 7 increased price.

C) Above deviously named drought rate (rate has little to do with the drought, but is for raising revenue) is in addition to the Pleasanton "distribution charges" ~$1/ unit or more. Provides a stealth 200% hike which can be turned on & off at discretion & gets approval while the going is good.

D) Above are *baseline charges* & separate from the Pleasanton penalties (up to $16/ every unit used) which are expected to still be kept in place (more revenues).

Conserve water & be damned with increased baseline rates, don't conserve & be damned by the higher rate and penalties.

Actions: Oct 6th 2015, 7.pm City council chambers is the next 5 year "review", which conveniently does not include the Zone 7 'proposed' $3.68 rate and includes the hike only till $2.62.

Make sure to show up !

Web Link

While you are at the council meeting on Oct. 6th you can let them know your opinion of Ponderosa's plan to build 27 new homes on the Centerpointe church property.

The Zone 7 rate hike meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday (10/21) at 7.00pm, Zone 7 Administration Building, 100 North Canyons Parkway, Livermore, California.

Zone 7 Wants a 33 percent rate increase in Jan 2016. $2.36 /unit ->$3.15, 2017 rise to $3.45, 2018 rise to $3.68 / unit (55% hike).

Web Link

If you look at their budget (page 1-31) their revenues for 2015 went down by $3mil, but expenses went up by $8mil, compared to 2014.

Web Link

For 2016 their revenues actually go UP by $2.5 mil (vs. 2014), but they are proposing additional spending of $27mil over revenue, leading to a "loss".

2014 was their highest expenses year EVER. (see 7 year chart, page 4-13) and they managed to beat that for 2016 by a whopping $27mil !

No wonder they are in a hole & want to run roughshod & hike prices while a "crisis" is on. Never let a good crisis go waste !!

Zone 7 were only spending $60-$80 mil per year for 7 years from 2007-2013. Never let a good crisis go waste !!

They hiked spending to $108mil in 2014 & are now proposing $124mil in 2016 with revenues at $97mil. Of course they want to hike rates. This would have been a huge surplus in any other year. Never let a good crisis go waste !

I'm sure they will all collect bonuses too, for meeting revenue goals with the 55% hike in rates !

Have a great day.

Web Link

If you didn't send in an email, contact the directors or show up at the zone 7 board of directors meeting, you have NO business complaining!!