Cayucos Water Rate Increase
County Service Area 10A (CSA 10A) provides water service primarily to the south end of Cayucos. This Service Area, operated by San Luis Obispo County, is planning to implement a major rate increase for Cayucos water bills. This increase includes a rate hike and a reduction in the water allocation. The cost of this increase includes, reportedly, a raise in charges for water anywhere from 40% to 74% and a surcharge for going over the lowered water allocation. These charges are estimated to raise the average water bill in Cayucos about $160 per billing cycle. The County plans to put this increase into effect this fall. All of this information is second hand because the County has yet to notify the public.
The County is using the Proposition 218 “Right to Vote on Taxes Act” to establish this levy and collect higher water rates from each property in CSA 10A. This Act requires the County to provide notice of the proposed rate increase to each property owner, to produce an engineer’s report explaining the rate increase, to provide an opportunity to discuss the proposed increase, and to provide a voting ballot. To date none of this – notification of the public, an engineer’s report, County public discussion, a ballot – has been provided.
This Act also requires each property owner to vote for or against the increase. Only a protest vote of 50% plus one vote will stop the rate increase. A “no” vote is a protest vote, a “yes” vote is for the increase.
However, a “Prop 218 vote” is not a simple yes or no vote, and here is the proverbial government “red tape.” Property owners that do not vote will count as a “yes” vote for the rate increase, by default. This includes property owners that toss out ballots with ‘other’ mail will be a “yes” vote, owners who live out of town and don’t send in a ballot will be a “yes” vote, and owners who fail to receive ballots, hence no vote, will be a “yes” vote. Given this method of voting, the County is already halfway to the vote threshold to pass the rate increase. And they have yet to inform the public about this water rate hike!
I contacted the CSA 10A office asking when do they plan to announce the increase to the customers, when will they issue the engineers report, and when do they plan on taking public input? They said the increase of water rates will be announced when the ballots are sent to the property owners, the report will be available when the ballots are sent, and public input will be “your vote” in the returned ballot. The County is required to issue the ballots at least 45 days before the Board of Supervisors vote for passage.
It appears that the County is waiting until the last day to send the notice and ballots, will not take public input, will avoid any protest vote, and this rate increase will be in effect by this fall. Public service does not seem to be an attribute of County Service Area 10A.
Charles Bergson
Cayucos
Opposition to Wind Energy is Selfish
It’s not that complicated. Is climate change real? Obviously, yes. Can sustainable energy reduce its impacts? Obviously, yes. Shouldn’t citizens of this rich country and prosperous coast do their part for sustainable energy? Certainly, yes. Would a wind farm out of sight over the ocean horizon begin to satisfy our collective responsibility? Certainly, yes.
Is there an explanation for local opposition to wind energy (which spouts meaningless slogans like ‘ocean industrialization’) other than empty-headed, NIMBY, selfishness? No.
Jeff Wheelwright
Morro Bay
