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For Immediate Release
City Council Approves Sewer Rate Increase – New Rates Effective August 25th
Redwood City, CA - June 29 , 2006 - As Redwood City’s sewage collection system and treatment facilities get older, they require upgrades, rebuilding, and ongoing maintenance. To address this critical community issue, the City Council took action at their meeting on June 26th and approved a sewer rate increase in order to fund these improvements and the ongoing system maintenance.
All of Redwood City’s sewage treatment takes place at the South Bayside System Authority (SBSA), which also handles sewage treatment for Belmont, San Carlos, parts of unincorporated San Mateo County, and members of the West Bay Sanitary District. Every two months, residents and businesses in Redwood City pay a fee (their City utility bill) which pays for the City’s use of the SBSA sewage treatment facility and ongoing operation and maintenance of the City’s sewage collection system.
The rate increase will pay for the necessary replacement, upgrade, and refurbishment projects at the SBSA sewage treatment facility, and to provide funding for much-needed improvements to the City’s sewage collection system, as well as ongoing maintenance and operation of that system. These improvements are necessary in order to best serve the community with sewage collection and treatment.
The rate increases go into effect on August 25, 2006:
- The minimum monthly residential Basic Service Charge increased from the current $26.27 to $33.00
- The commercial Basic Service Charge is (for all commercial user categories) increased from the current $26.27 to $33.00 (in addition to an increase in the “additional charges” for wastewater in excess of 1,000 cubic feet)
More detail is available online.
Notification of the proposed rate increase was sent to all City property owners in early May, providing a 45-day period within which formal protests to the increase could be submitted. A small number of such written protests were received.
During the June 26th public hearing the Council took community comment, considered the number of protests filed, discussed the issue, and made the decision to approve the rate increases.
Visit Redwood City’s award-winning website at www.redwoodcity.org for information about the City and its services, the community, recreation programs, education, and City government. Subscribe to Redwood City’s email newsletter by sending an email to
e-news@redwoodcity.org
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Contact:
Marilyn Harang
Public Works Superintendent
(650) 780-7464
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