Notice of Proposed Water Rate Increases
By the time you see this newsletter, you should have received a copy of the District’s notice of the proposed water rate increases over the next five years. In compliance with article XIII D of the California Constitution, which was added to the Constitution pursuant to Proposition 218, this notice explains:
- What is being proposed and why.
- How your rates would change and when.
- The decision-making process and how you can participate.
The District is required to send these notices to all parcels within its jurisdiction indicated on the County’s Tax Assessor role at least 45 days in advance of a public hearing to adopt the propossed new rate changes, which has been scheduled for September 20, 2025 at 9:30a at the District office located at 3785 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach.
The Board has also approved release of our cost of service study to support these proposed rate changes. Copies of this study are available by request at the District office or at info@stinsonwater.org.
If a majority of the record parcel owners protest the rates in writing, then the District will not impose the proposed rates. However, a successful protest will result in impacts to water services. Specific instructions for filing a protest or legal challenge are indicated on the notice.
If you have any questions regarding the proposed new rates or their impact to your bill, please contact the District General Manager at (415) 868-1333, ext. 100, or by email at knelson@stinsonwater.org.
Understanding the Value of Your Water (revisited)
Back in April, we talked about understanding the actual value of your tap water versus buying bottled water. As you will recall, your tap water quality is significantly higher than you would find in any bottled water (tap water is MUCH more highly regulated), AND your tap water is considerably cheaper.
Assuming you are an average water user in our system at around 3,500 – 4,000 gallons per month (which accounts for about 95% of our customers), then your water usage will be charged at the District’s current Tier 1 rate of $0.002603 per gallon. In other words, that 16.9 fluid ounce bottle you purchased at a store would cost you about 3 one-hundredths of one cent (i.e. $0.0003) to fill from your tap. To put it another way, you could fill that same 16.9 fluid ounce bottle from your tap over 980 times to spend the same amount per bottle as you would had you bought it from a store.
Current Stinson Water Rate Comparison
With all this talk about how cheap my tap water is compared to bottled water, how do my current water rates compare to other local agencies? Ours is really expensive, right?
Actually, if you compare Stinson Water’s rates with other local agencies, you’ll find that our current rates are actually some of the cheapest in the area. Please note that this looks at just the water base fee and usage charges on your bill (wastewater base fees are excluded, for an “apples-to-apples” comparison).
Document Request
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