HomeMy WebLinkAbout08 PUBLIC WORKSHOP TO DISCUSS CHANGES IN THE WATER RATES AND SET PUBLIC HEARINGAGENDA REPORT
Agenda Item
Reviewed:
City Manager
Finance Director _@_
MEETING DATE: September 19, 2023
TO:
FROM:
MATTHEW S. WEST, CITY MANAGER
JENNIFER KING, FINANCE DIRECTOR/CITY TREASURER
DOUGLAS S. STACK, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS/CITY ENGINEER
SUBJECT: PUBLIC WORKSHOP TO DISCUSS CHANGES IN WATER RATES AND TO SET A
PUBLIC HEARING PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF PROPOSITION 218
SUMMARY:
The City's consultant, IB Consulting, completed a cost-of-service analysis for the City's Water
Enterprise and developed proposed water rates to meet ongoing operational, maintenance, and
capital needs while maintaining the requirements of existing bond covenants. City staff requests
that the City Council hold a public workshop to discuss the cost-of-service analysis and proposed
rates, and set a public hearing for December 5, 2023, to consider the adoption of proposed water
rates.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1.Conduct a public workshop to discuss the cost-of-service analysis and proposed changes to
the water rates;
2.Set a public hearing for December 5, 2023, to consider the adoption of proposed new water
rates; and
3.Direct staff to prepare and mail the required public hearing notices.
CORRELATION TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN:
Correlates with the City's Strategic Plan Goal C: Financial Strength, Item 5, providing adequate
financial resources for a well-maintained and reliable water system.
BACKGROUND:
The City owns and operates a water distribution system that provides potable water service to a
community of nearly 67,000 water consumers. The City's water system is made up of approximately
172 miles of water mains, 9 active groundwater wells, 6 storage reservoirs and 2 ground water
treatment facilities. Approximately 60% of the water service connections are located within a five
square mile area within the City limits, while the remaining 40% of water connections are located
within 3.4 square miles of unincorporated area of the County, known as North Tustin. The areas of
the City not within the Enterprise's service area include the Tustin Ranch and Tustin Legacy
developments which are provided water service by Irvine Ranch Water District.
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Tustin Water Services Rate Adjustment
Outreach Summary
Proposed Water Rate Adjustment Timeline
Public Outreach Activities (July 2023-January 2024)
The water rate outreach team identified the following public outreach activities to ensure that all
affected audiences are informed about the process and how to get involved.
• Establish a dedicated phone/email for
questions/concerns.
• Create materials, water rate webpage,
social media posts, news articles,
eblasts, and two (2) mailers
• Conduct a City Council workshop and
host a community meeting in advance
of a public hearing for the potential
adoption of the new water rates.
• A postcard and webpage also provided
in Spanish
Post-Public Hearing Outreach Activities
If the new rates are adopted by the City Council, an additional mailer will be sent out to affected
customers, social media posts will be created as well as a news article and eblast, and the dedicated
webpage will be updated. Additionally, an interactive water rate calculator will be available on the
website for customers to estimate how much their new water bills would be under the proposed rate
adjustment.
Get involved
There are several ways the Tustin community can get involved in the process.
Call our dedicated hotline (714) 573-3099 to speak to a customer service representative with
any questions. If we aren’t able to get to the phone, a customer service representative will
contact the customer within one business day.
Email questions to waterrates@tustinca.org and a customer service representative will contact
the customer within one business day.
Attend one of our public meetings to learn more about the rate adjustment, how it could affect
customers, and available payment options.
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