Beginning Jan. 1, Keyes residents will be paying nearly an extra $40 per month to flush their toilets and drain their sinks and bathtubs.
The Keyes Community Services District board unanimously approved a $38.16 rate hike charge at its meeting of Tuesday, Nov. 25. The move is in response to a whopping increase imposed by the city of Turlock which processes Keyes’ effluent at its plant. A total of 1,494 households will be affected.
The district hasn’t increased rates since 2013. The monthly sewer charge jumps from $64.23 to $102.39.
In order to raise rates under Proposition 218, the district was required to send out protest ballots to affected property owners. Because the Starlite subdivision was erroneously skipped when the first batch of ballots went out, KCSD had to reissue them. A total of 302 protest ballots were received – far from the 748 necessary as a majority vote to block the increase.
The small KCSD board room was filled with Keyes residents who sought answers as to the necessity of the large increase. One of them was former district general manager who was dismissed in August. Ernie Garza asked why board members were so determined to roll into the increase an amount that will accumulate to a $3 million sewer reserve within a decade.
“I was going by the logic of the people we hired to do the rate study and their recommendations of it,” explained Director Cody Knee. “I trust their judgement.”
Board president Johnathon Parker said a reserve is necessary, citing the future costs of replacing aging sewer pipeline and lift station. One such recent lift station replacement cost the district $1 million, according to acting General Manager Mike Jones.
Parker also made note of the district’s current deficit of $1.29 million. Much of that deficit has been triggered by not increasing rates after Turlock doubled the charge to KCSD.
Keyes was paying Turlock an average of $30,000 to $35,000 per month to about $65,000 to $70,000 per month, Parker said.
Garza accused Knee and Parker, working as an ad hoc committee, to direct the consultant to include a $3 million capital reserve in the increase without full board approval, which he claims is in violation of the Brown Act.
“If you proceed, this decision will not go on unchallenged,” said Garza. “The public is watching and the courts are available.”
He told the Courier that he may go before the Board of Supervisors and see about replacing the board, calling it “pretty much corrupt, if you will.”
All board directors voted to approve the increase, including newly sworn Tammy Lankford. She replaces Steven J. Morrow who resigned on Oct. 7. Other directors are vice president Ron Reforma and Kristina Vasquez.
