Sewer rates in Salinas triple after Prop. 218, and an assistance program launches.

Faced with deteriorating sewer infrastructure and rates that had not gone up in over a decade, Salinas City Council voted in April to approve rate increases. “It is pretty critical that we move this forward… we need to maintain our infrastructure,” Finance Director Selina Andrews told council.

Since 2012, Salinas residents paid $5.45/month for their sewer service. A study by a third-party consultant found that service payments were insufficient to provide the necessary revenue for infrastructure improvements.

After City Council’s approval, ratepayers had an opportunity to weigh in and protest the new rates under Proposition 218. The city sent out 34,537 notices on July 11 to property owners, giving them an opportunity to oppose the increases. If more than 50 percent (15,952) of those recipients did so, the increase could not take effect. As of Sept. 19, the city received only 58 protest responses opposing the rate change, and on Sept. 23, City Council voted 6-1, with Andrew Sandoval opposing, to certify the new rate structure, tripling bills effective Oct. 1. With the new rates, the bill for a single-family home will go up from $5.45/month to $16.35/month, and will increase to $17.70 by 2029.

The council also voted on the same day to establish an assistance program to help low-income residents pay their sewer bills.

Council unanimously approved the program and will provide financial assistance covering 15 percent of bills for low-income ratepayers, benefiting up to 5,096 people. Council set aside $150,000 to fund the program.

The assistance program will run independently from sewer bills to make it accessible to people in multi-family units, including apartments, duplexes and mobile homes.

Eligible ratepayers will receive a one-time annual payment for 15 percent of their sewer charges for the fiscal year. People participating in PG&E’s California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program may qualify; individuals enrolled in the city’s Affordable Income and Rent Limits programs or the Section 8 Housing Choice voucher program are not eligible because they already receive utility assistance.

Salinas operates its own sanitary sewer collection system, covering 12,430 acres, and then sends the wastewater to Monterey One Water for treatment. (M1W, which serves a bigger region, is the agency that bills residents for both services, so they will see the increase reflected on their M1W bills.)