Samantha Gonzaga: August 2008 Archives

Norwalk approves 15 percent water rate hike

By Samantha Gonzaga on August 6, 2008 4:51 PM | | Comments (0) |
Norwalk Municipal Water System customers, brace yourselves: your water rate bill just jumped 15 percent.
 
Norwalk City Council members on Tuesday night approved the increase. The vote passed 4-1, with Councilman Jesse Luera opposing. Mayor Michael Mendez was not present at the meeting.
 
City leaders were asked to consider the rate hike because the city needed the funds generated by the rate hike to pay for maintenance costs as well as upgrades to the system. "Without the rate increase, NMWS will not be able to adequately fund operations and maintenance costs and the proposed (Water System Impovement Plan) would not be completed without a transfer of funds from the City's General Fund," according to a staff report prepared by Assistant City Manager Thomas Lynch and Administrative Services Manager Adriana Figueroa.
 
The rate hike city leaders approved is expected to generate about $1.02 million. An additional $20 bi-monthly "operations and maintenance charge" is also to be applied bi-monthly.
 
A 3.5 percent rate increase is also in store for customers in fiscal year 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.
 
Norwalk isn't alone in proposing and approving a water rate increase for its municipal water system customers. Bellflower city officials in June voted in favor of increasing the water rates of more than 1,800 customers serviced by the city's own municipal water system.
 
 
Bellflower city leaders originally considered a 6 percent rate hike, which would have generated about $87,500 in revenue meant to offset MWS' fiscal year shortfall of about the same amount. The six percent hike met with strong opposition from customers, many of whom packed council chambers and vented their frustrations at council members. (No customer or member of the public addressed Norwalk council members Tuesday night, according to an employee from Norwalk City Clerk's Office.)
 
In the end, city leaders still went with a pared-down 4 percent increase.  MWS' budget was to be revised to identify what could be cut to make up for the 2 percent shortfall.
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Paul Eakins reports on Long Beach City Hall, and local and regional politics. A newcomer to the Press-
Telegram, he previously has covered local and state government and politics in San Diego County, Mexico and his home state of Kansas.

E-mail Paul at paul.eakins@presstelegram.com.


Kris Hanson reports on the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, covering environmental issues, economic triumphs and pitfalls and trade trends of America’s largest port. He also writes a weekly column “On The Waterfront”, appearing Tuesdays, and also produces an occassional video and column titled “On The Job,” which follows the hard-working men and women who keep Southern California’s economy humming.

E-mail Kris at kristopher.hanson@
presstelegram.com.


Karen Robes Meeks came to work for the Press-
Telegram in April 2002 as a beat reporter, covering the cities of Lakewood, Bellflower and Paramount. She now covers business, specifically redevelopment, tourism and small businesses. She also writes Eye on Redevelopment, a monthly column that appears in the Business Monday section.

E-mail Karen at karen.robes@presstelegram.com.


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