Council-Approved Increase in Sewer Rates & Charges
New Rates are effective August 25th, 2006

What is Redwood City's Sewer Enterprise Fund?

When you pay your sewer utility bill, that money goes into Redwood City's Sewer Enterprise Fund. As an “enterprise” fund, by law it is self-sustaining, meaning that all expenditures must be directly related to the operation, maintenance, repair, and management of the City's sewer system, and other related uses as deemed appropriate by the City Council.

Revenues to the Sewer Enterprise Fund are kept separate from other municipal funds and uses, and cannot be co-mingled with funds for any other activities.

The Sewer Enterprise Fund supports two major service components:

• The collection system, maintained and operated by the City of Redwood City, which is comprised of the sewer mains, collector mains, and trunk lines (large pipelines), the City's portion of the "lateral" lines (the pipeline from your house to the main sewer line), and the pump stations that carry customer wastewater to the sewage treatment plant;
  
  
• The sewage treatment plant, which is operated and maintained by the South Bayside System Authority (SBSA), a public entity. The sewage treatment plant is used jointly by the City with other public agencies, all of which are party to the joint exercise of powers agreement that established SBSA.

Why are sewer rates increasing?

The aging SBSA sewage treatment plant requires some major replacement and refurbishment projects for equipment, buildings, and facilities over the next ten years. These improvements are necessary to maintain and upgrade the plant, in order to best serve the communities that rely on its sewage treatment services.

The SBSA Commission (made up of representatives of the cities and agencies that utilize the sewage treatment plant) made the decision to proceed with these necessary improvements, as well as to replenish reserve funds which were depleted over the past two years to complete an emergency "outfall" pipe repair project.

What is the amount of the rate increase?

The rate increases, effective as of August 25th, 2006, are as follows:

• Increase the minimum monthly residential Basic Service Charge from the current $26.27 to $33.00 effective August 25, 2006.
  
  
• Increase the minimum monthly commercial Basic Service Charge (for all commercial user categories) from $26.27 to $33.00, effective August 25, 2006.
  
  
• Increase minimum additional monthly commercial charge per 100 cubic feet of waste or wastewater discharged or deposited into the sewerage facilities in excess of one thousand (1,000) cubic feet for the following User Categories:
  
  

  Category	Current Rate	Proposed Rate
  Retail/Commerical	$2.20	$2.25
  Restaurant	$3.68	$3.75
  Supermarket	$3.66	$3.73
  Institutional	$2.12	$2.16
  Hospital	$2.27	$2.32
  Industrial	$1.88	$1.92

Did the public have input into the rate increase?

• Notification of the proposed rate increase was sent to all City property owners in early May, 2006, providing a 45-day period within which formal protests to the increase could be submitted. A small number of written protests were received.
  
  
• The City Council held a public hearing on Monday, June 26, 2006, at 7:00 pm, at City Hall, 1017 Middlefield Road. At the public hearing, the City Council heard and discussed public comments, as well as written protests received against the proposed sewer increases.

How can I get more information on the rate increase?

Please feel free to contact our Public Works Services staff at 650-780-7464, or send an email to mharang@redwoodcity.org