HomeMy WebLinkAbout8 Public Hearing on Proposed Water Rates for FY21-FY25
AGENDA ITEM # 8
Page 1 of 4
MEETING DATE: December 2, 2020
To: Board of Directors
FROM: Brian Wright, Interim General Manager/Water Utility Director
SUBJECT: Public Hearing on Proposed Water Rates and Adoption of
Ordinance 2020-02 Setting Water Rates for FY21-FY25
APPROVED BY_________________________________
Brian Wright, Interim General Manager/
Water Utility Director
RECOMMENDATION:
a) Conduct a Public Hearing on Proposed Water Rates for FY21-FY25
b) Accept and Direct Staff to File the Truckee Donner Public Utility District 2020
Water Rate Study
c) Adopt Ordinance 2020-02 Setting Water Rates for FY21-Fy25
BACKGROUND:
The District has held two workshops as part of the public process in conducting a water
rate study, cost of service review, and finally the adoption of water utility rates beginning in
FY 2021. Prior to adoption of an ordinance setting water rates for FY21-FY25, the District
is required to hold a public hearing for public input.
The development and adoption of cost-based water utility rates, fees and charges is
integral to the District’s ability to effectively fund the construction, maintenance and
operation of a safe, reliable and sustainable public water system. The water utility rate
development process includes:
Revenue and Cost of Service Analysis
Design of a Multi-year Rate Plan
Prop 218 Process
Adoption by Board of Directors
In 2015 the Board adopted Ordinance 2015-01 setting the maximum water rate increases
Page 2 of 4
for FY16-20. The resulting Board approved water rates schedule will expire at the end of
FY20:
Fiscal Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Approved Maximum Rate Increase 6%5%3%3%3%
As discussed at each of the previous workshops, in preparation for the proposal of new
water rates and eventual adoption by the Board, the District approved a professional
services contract with Farr West Engineering for the development of an updated 10-year
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), and HDR Engineering to conduct the 2020 Water Rate
Study Update.
The District’s updated Water Infrastructure 10-year CIP was presented to the Board for
review at the meeting held on May 20, 2020. The completion of the updated CIP plan
revealed the District would require significant increases in rate funded capital expenditures
over the next 10 years in order to address the ongoing need to harden water system
reliability with additional emergency power supply generators, construction of additional
pipelines for system redundancy, continued maintenance of critical water system facilities
as well as replacing other facilities approaching the end of their useful life. Based upon an
assessment of water system infrastructure and operational needs, the CIP study
conducted by Farr West Engineering identified an annual capital budget equivalent of
approximately $7M. This is a significant increase from recent annual budget targets of
approximately $2.3M.
Utilizing the updated Water Infrastructure 10-year CIP, the water rate study completed by
HDR Engineering is intended to align rate generated revenues with the District’s financial
goals. Some additional concerns to be accounted for in the 2020 Water Rate Study
Update are:
Significant and yet to be determined unfunded State mandates associated with
water use reduction and water loss performance standards; and
Address the continuing rise in costs exceeding that of inflationary expectations for
general repair and replacement services and materials.
Based upon the feedback received in each of the two workshops, HDR Engineering and
staff have completed the water rate study, incorporating the cost of service review data,
and have developed a 2020 Water Rate Study Draft Report. The report has been included
with this Staff Report as Attachment #1. The draft report incorporated a rate design based
upon
Rate Design Summary: An average year over year annual water bill increase of
approximately $7.10/month. This rate design scenario builds water utility reserve
fund balances to nearly $7.5M in FY2025, and incrementally increase annual
capital expenditures to $8.1M in FY 2025 through a combination of rate generated
revenue and additional debt service
Page 3 of 4
Staff is recommending this rate design as it provides a year over year increase in annual
water utility revenue of approximately $1.4M, while incrementally building toward the
District’s water utility capital investment needs and reserve fund balance goals over the
course of the next five years. The proposed scenario will have an average cumulative net
rate increase of approximately $35.52/month for the average TDPUD water utility customer
over the course of the 5-year rate plan.
A presentation has been prepared for this public hearing to facilitate a review and
discussion of the revised water rate design scenarios, cost of service analysis as well as
the various components of the rate structures.
The District’s water utility rates are adopted by the Board of Directors and are subject to
the provisions of California Proposition 218 (Prop 218). Prop 218, also known as the “Right
to Vote on Taxes Act”, was adopted in 1996. In the State of California, utility rates for the
consumption of water adopted by a government agency are considered “property-related
fees” and are subject to Prop 218.
Compliance with CA Prop 218 requires the following criteria be met:
Water rates must be based on actual cost of service;
District must provide notification by mail to parcel owners within the District
boundaries of the intended rate adjustments;
District must hold at least one public hearing not sooner than 45 days after the
mailing of notices;
District must provide an opportunity for parcel owners to formally protest rate
increase (requires majority protest to reject rate increase);
If proposed rates are not rejected, they may become effective 30 days after the
public hearing and adoption by ordinance.
It should be noted that at the time of publication of this Staff Report, the District has
received 26 written protests, opposing the proposed increase (Attachment 2).
In order to meet the requirements of Prop 218, the following timeline has been
implemented:
September 2, 2020 – Workshop #1 was held to review the results of the rate
study and proposed new rates;
October 7, 2020 - Workshop #2 was held, the Board approved proposed new
water rates and scheduled a public hearing;
October to November – Notifications were mailed out on October 16 th to the
owner of record for all parcels receiving water service from the District; and an
advertisement of the scheduled public hearing;
December 2, 2020 – Hold public hearing regarding proposed water rates and
adopt ordinance setting new water utility rates;
January 1, 2021 – New water utility rates become effective with the first billing
cycle following January 2, 2021.
Page 4 of 4
FISCAL IMPACT:
This public hearing includes a recommendation to the Board to adopt and set water rates
for FY2021-2025. The approved water rates will have a direct impact on annual water
utility rate generated revenues and budgeted expenditures for water utility operations and
capital improvements over the next 5 years.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Truckee Donner Public Utility District 2020 Draft Water Rate Study
2. Public Protests Submitted to the District Clerk
3. Ordinance 2020-02 Setting Water Rates for FY21-FY25