Salinas City Council prepares to vote on sewer rate increases, potentially tripling rates.

For over a decade, sewer rates for Salinas residents have remained the same: $5.45 per month since 2012. This fiscal year, the city is facing a funding shortfall. “Necessary infrastructure repairs and upgrades have not been financially possible,” Finance DTA, a consulting firm, reported in a study.

For the next decade, DTA calculated, the city will need $114.8 million to maintain the current level of service it provides.

David Jacobs, director of public works, says part of the system is very old. “Most of the sewer lift stations in the city were built in the ’60s and we have maintained them, but they’re getting to end of life,” Jacobs says.

Salinas operates its own sanitary sewer collection system covering 12,430 acres, then sends the wastewater to Monterey One Water to be treated. (M1W is the agency that bills residents for both services, so they would see an increase reflected on their M1W bills.)

The proposed rates would triple, then would increase by 2 percent every fiscal year over the next decade. A single-family home, for example, would pay $16.35/month as early as July instead of $5.45/month today, then would pay $19.54/month by 2035.

The council is set to vote on the proposed sewer rates on Tuesday, April 22. If approved, it would trigger steps required by Proposition 218, starting with sending informational notices to property owners, setting a hearing date and a protest process, giving people a chance to override the approved increases with 50 percent opposition.

Since increases would impact those living on a fixed income, the city is exploring implementing a subsidy program.

Increased rates could take effect July 1.