Hollister resident Aurelio Zuniga was among the speakers at Monday’s public hearing over the proposed spike in water rates over the next five years. Unlike other residents, though, he said he was not there to protest the water rates, which would double over a five-year period to pay for a series of improvement projects.
Zuniga had another question: What about lowering the sewer rates to offset the burden? He pointed out that city officials had speculated around seven years ago about the possibility of lowering the sewer rates, which rose to pay for the $100 million wastewater plant.
Zuniga said Hollister has one of the highest sewer rates in the state.
“We were told in 2006-07 that if there was growth, that the rates would not go past $71. After improvements were made, everything collapsed. I understand that, but now there is growth,” he said, pointing to several areas in Hollister where homes are being built.
At the meeting’s end, Mayor Ignacio Velazquez requested that staff members bring back a report relating to sewer rates and any prospective rate changes.
Monday night was an opportunity for residents to vent about the almost-certain rate hikes coming next January. Council members have OK’d moving ahead on $30 million in water quality improvement projects – water officials argue they are required to meet federal standards laid out in the Safe Drinking Water Act – which would spur the rate hikes over a five-year period.
Water officials have said the projects would lower salt content and improve reliability, while one engineering official Monday underscored the need to cut out “disinfectant bi-products” to reduce carcinogens. Council members Monday agreed to continue the item to Aug. 19.
Other residents at the hearing – required for the Prop. 218 protest-vote process that is currently under way – spoke about the impact the rate increases would have on their families.
Martin Hernandez said he represents a small community off Union Road that filed a petition against the price increases.
“We were alarmed,” Hernandez said of the lower-income families. “There’s a high concern about that because there’s a lot of people that can’t afford what they are right now.”
While water officials pushing the initiative forward have referenced that the improvements would curtail the need to buy bottled water, it prompted questions from another of the public speakers.
“My concern for you is the safety of the water now,” Linda Lampe said. “Have we as residents of the city been drinking water that’s unhealthy?”
She questioned whether resident should bring their own bottled water to restaurants, and a city official later clarified that Hollister meets all of the state’s safety standards.
One public speaker, former Councilman Doug Emerson, supported the rate increases. He said the city should weigh benefits versus negative consequences. For Emerson, the water quality affects how he gardens on his 12,000-square-foot lawn, he said.
“The hardness of water makes it very difficult for people in their yard,” Emerson said. “I put a plant in the ground, it dies.”
How to Protest:
Property owners can send a letter of protest to the city over the water rates. Interested property owners in the city, not including those in the Sunnyslope Water District, can send protests to City Clerk Geri Johnson at Hollister City Hall, 375 Fifth St.
