73.3 percent increase by 2012?

Lodi City Council to consider wastewater fees

On Wednesday night, the Lodi City Council will consider a 73.3 percent wastewater rate increase that would take a three-bedroom home's monthly sewer bill from $27.74 to $48.06 by July 2012.

Because it is a proposed utility rate increase, the city is mandated by state law to send out a notice of the recommended increase and how residents can protest it. If half of the city's property owners protest the increase, it would not go into effect. The city sent the notice out to renters as well.

As of Thursday afternoon, the city clerk's office had received 143 protest letters out of the more than 30,000 notices staff sent out.

The rate increase will partially be used to pay off $40 million in bonds for the White Slough treatment plant upgrades, Public Works Director Wally Sandelin said.

The money will also be used for operations and maintenance, and to hire new employees needed to run the upgraded plant. A 25 percent reserve will also be established in case of emergencies, like a sewer main collapsing, Sandelin said.

City staff say the increase is needed because of state-mandated upgrades. The city took out $40 million in bonds to pay for the upgrades, and the current sewer rate is not collecting enough to run the utility and pay the debt service.

Sandelin said the city's 73.3 percent increase over four years is the maximum amount the city can raise, and he will reevaluate each year to see if the rates can be lower.

Before the council meeting, the city of Lodi is offering residents an opportunity to learn about the wastewater treatment process from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.

City staff will give tours of the White Slough wastewater treatment plant to show the multi-step process of passing the water through screens and ponds to separate solids from the water and to eliminate bacteria.

The water also goes through a material resembling brown shag carpet to take out fine particles and is then treated with ultraviolet light to make any remaining bacterial sterile so it cannot reproduce.

Contact reporter Maggie Creamer at maggiec@lodinews.com or read her blog at www.lodinews.com/blog/citybuzz.

To take the tour

If you would like to attend the White Slough treatment plant tour on Saturday, RSVP to public works staff at 333-6707. To get to the plant, go south on Thornton Road from Flag City. Take the first right under Interstate 5 and turn left on the access road.

To protest rate increase

Ratepayers can send protest letters to: Lodi City Clerk, P.O. Box 3006, Lodi, CA 95241.

All protests must be received before the July 15 public hearing at 7 p.m. in Carnegie Forum, 305 W. Pine St.