header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 18
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel


Santa Clarita Valley Water customers will receive a notice in the mail next week about proposed water rate changes over the next five years.

The rate changes will bring customers in three separate divisions — Newhall, Santa Clarita and Valencia — under one rate for their water usage charge and other rates. Customers in each division currently pay different sets of rates, which were set before the three divisions — formerly independent agencies — merged in 2018.

The ratepayer advocate report concluded that the median bill would decrease by 16% for a customer in the Newhall Water Division in the first year of the rate change. In the Santa Clarita Water Division, the report estimated the decrease at 1% in the first year. Valencia Water District customers are estimated to experience a 6% increase in the first year. In subsequent years, any potential rate increases have yet to be determined.

Explanation

The local water agency’s board of directors voted Tuesday night to send the required notice, which explains the rate changes and the opportunity for SCV Water ratepayers to file a written protest to the changes.

Directors Kathye Armitage, Lynne Plambeck and Beth Braunstein voiced their concerns about not allowing ratepayers to submit written protests by email.

“I just wanted to restate my disappointment that we’re not allowing written protest to be submitted by both email and regular mail,” said Armitage.

Plambeck said she’d like to see the rate change notice include a “tear-off” that rate payers could complete and send to the agency in the mail.

“It’s very extremely unlikely that the protests would be so many that the rate adjustment would not go through,” Plambeck said. “But I am really concerned that we give everyone the opportunity to have their voice heard.”

Proposition 218, a ballot measure approved by California voters in 1996, requires a majority of ratepayers submit a written protest to stop proposed rate changes.

Braunstein also supported accepting protests by email.

“If we’re not going to do that, then I would request that maybe we write it in bold that we do not accept email protest,” Braunstein said.

‘Best solution’

A draft rate change notice shared as part of the board of directors’ meeting agenda packet explains the proposed changes. The notice references a ratepayer advocate report and cost of service analysis, which informed the proposed changes.

Ichiko Kido, the ratepayer advocate who worked with agency staff, explained her report’s recommendations to the board Tuesday.

“My primary focus was always to find the lowest possible rate for the agency’s ratepayers without sacrificing the quality of services that the agency provides to its customers,” Kido said. “Unifying the rates of the three agencies that are currently completely different was challenging, but I believe the agency found the best solution for the ratepayers.”

When asked by Plambeck if a rate increase was needed, Kido cited increased expenses of 2% to 5% per year over the next five years.

“One thing that I proposed and the board members approved was (a) 0% revenue increase for the first year, because what I found was your healthy reserve level,” Kido said. “Your agency will be able to take no (revenue) increase for the first year, and then that would mitigate customers’ rate increases greatly.”

Kido told the board that the proposed annual rate increases represent a maximum amount that the board can revisit each year before determining the final increase for the following year.

“I recommended every year we revisit your financial condition and we evaluate if you really need that 6.5% increase,” Kido said.

Board President Gary Martin thanked Kido for her recommendations.

“This is what I think we all hoped for, that we would have someone of Ichiko’s status and stature to sit down and make sure that what we came up with was fair, equitable, required and detailed,” Martin said.

Customers can soon use yourscvwater.com/rateplanning to learn more about the water agency’s cost of service analysis and ratepayer advocate report. SCV Water is scheduled to hold a public hearing about the rate changes June 15, which is the deadline for submitting a written protest.

Written protests should be addressed to the attention of the Board Secretary, addressed to 27234 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91350, and include the ratepayer’s name, parcel number and/or service address, and signature.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
College of the Canyons notched its first victory at the newly named Mike Gillespie Field on Saturday, winning its second straight conference series, this time over visiting Bakersfield College, by a 6-4 final score. 
Cougars Notch First Win at Mike Gillespie Field
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Master's University hit 20 3-pointers, one shy of the program record in a game, to defeat the St. Thomas Bobcats 122-91 in the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship tournament.
Mustangs Advance to NAIA Sweet 16
The Master's University baseball team lost a pair of 1-run games Saturday against the Menlo Oaks in Atherton, Calif.
Mustangs Drop Three Games to Menlo
The Los Angeles County Development Authority is excited to announce that its executive director, Emilio Salas, has been appointed to a two-year term to serve as a member of the national Strategic Planning Advisory Committee for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).
LACDA’s Emilio Salas Appointed to National Planning Advisory Committee
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Live Music Performers Announced
REDLANDS — College of the Canyons track and field recorded a dozen top-10 finishes and established 30 new personal records while competing at the University of Redlands Invitational on March 15. 
Cougars Earn Top-10 Finishes at Redlands Invitational
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
City’s 2024 ‘Celebrate’ Lineup Released
Big Chicken, the star-powered fast casual chicken concept, which has a location in Santa Clarita, is fueling the mania for the Big Tournament with a nationwide Big Bracket Challenge.
Compete for Chance to Open Shaquille O’Neal Chicken Restaurant
California State University, Northridge’s Spring 2024 Cinematheque series will pay tribute to Hollywood casting director and producer Deborah Aquila, executive vice president and head of casting at Paramount Television Studios and CBS Studios, to mark the end of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 27.
Legendary Casting Director Deborah Aquila to Speak at CSUN
On Friday, March 22, the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at College of the Canyons will host a graduation ceremony for nine students who have completed the UAA’s pilot robotics training program.
March 22: COC’s Uniquely Abled Academy Robotics Graduation
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is excited to announce spring has sprung at its local parks, including those in the Santa Clarita Valley.
L.A. County Parks Releases Spring Jubilee Dates
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24.
‘Bosch Legacy,’ ‘CSI Vegas’ Among Six Productions Filming in SCV
Unlike our children who enjoy a week-long spring break, we adults no longer have that luxury.
Ken Striplin | Register Now for Spring Break Camp 2024
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the following Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters due to bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.
Ocean Water Advisory Continues for L.A. County Beaches
The California Department of Motor Vehicles now offers a faster way for businesses to check that their employees have clean driving records using the new online Employee Pull Notice (EPN) Service.
DMV Launches Enhanced Digital Employer Pull Notice Service
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel
1927 - Newhall telephone exchange, est. 1900, now serves 100 phones [story]
telephone
2003 - Lifesize sculpture honoring heroes of St. Francis Dam disaster unveiled in Santa Paula [video]
The Warning
In the first of three matches on consecutive nights in Arizona, The Master's men's volleyball team defeated Benedictine-Mesa in three sets 27-25, 28-26, 25-19.
TMU Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Benu in Arizona
Greg Herrick, the former longtime College of the Canyons women's basketball head coach who recorded 611 career wins while winning 16 conference titles, was inducted into the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) Hall of Fame during the organization's annual Banquet of Champions at Mt. San Antonio College on March 13.
Longtime COC Women’s Basketball Coach Herrick Enshrined in Hall of Fame
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
March 19: Planning Commission to Discuss Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project
Attend the city of Santa Clarita's most unique egg hunt, the Splash N’ Dash at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, presented by Kaiser Permanente.
March 30: Dive into Spring at Splash n’ Dash Egg Hunt
String orchestras and concert bands from around the Santa Clarita Valley and Southern California will participate in the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association concert festival hosted by West Ranch High School on Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
March 26-27: SoCal School Band, Orchestra Concert Festival
SCVNews.com