Via a recent mailing as required by Proposition 218, the city of Santa Maria has notified me and other property owners and tenants of their intent to increase our water and sewer rates by 16 percent over the next three years. Details were not given in the mailing that would justify raising our rates at this time. If the public wants to hear the explanation for the increases, we are instructed to attend one of two public workshops to be held in March, or call the Utilities Department at 925-0951, Ext. 7270.
This seems to be a very inefficient way for the city to disseminate this important information. Inefficient for the public to use time and gas to drive downtown to hear it, and inefficient for city staff to have to answer all those phone calls explaining over and over again their justification for the amount and timing of the proposed rate increases.
Why didn’t the city direct the public to their website for an explanation or include an explanation with the mailing containing the proposed rate increases? Perhaps their justification is weak and/or frivolous, and the city is counting on the affected property owners and tenants being too busy or tired from making a living to attend or call.
Surely the city knows that its residents and businesses are suffering financially right now due to the poor economy in Santa Maria. Now is not a good time to raise rates or taxes on anyone. Rather, the city should be proposing ways to reduce spending and tighten its fiscal belt, just as the public has had to do, until and unless the economy improves. The servant is not greater than the sovereign.
More concerning is that the city failed to mention in their notice that Proposition 218 states that if a majority of affected property owners and tenants (50 percent, plus one) file protests, the proposed rate of changes will not be imposed.
I encourage property owners and tenants to join me in protesting the proposed rate increases. All they have to do is mail a simple letter like this to the city prior to April 3:
City Clerk, City of Santa Maria, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria, CA, 93454:
I (property owners/tenant name(s)), owner (or tenant) of the property located at (property owner’s/tenant’s address), parcel number (parcel number), do hereby protest the proposed 2012 through 2014 rate increases for city water and sewer services. (Name and signature of property owner/tenant(s)).
Phil Larson lives in Nipomo. Send comments to the executive editor at rmiller@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 16-23, 2012.