Supervisors OK sewer rate hike in Niland
NILAND — The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4-0 to approve a sewer rate increase for the residents of Niland after property owners here failed to muster the votes needed to prohibit it.
Tuesday’s meeting capped 10 months of often contentious discussions between county officials and the Niland Sanitary District, on one side, and many residents here who opposed any rate increase.
All told, 63 votes had been cast in protest of the proposed rate increase, far short of the 173 needed to prevent the increase from being considered by the four supervisors present at its regular meeting in Niland.
As a result of the supervisors’ vote, the monthly sewer rate will go from its current rate of $37 to about $69.
That rate hike is not expected to go into effect until the supervisor-administered successor district is officially formed with the assistance of the county Local Area Formation Commission, said county Public Works Director John Gay.
“We’re looking at weeks as opposed to months,” Gay said.
Prior to the board’s approval of the rate hike, some residents spoke out against the proposed increase, while others questioned the Prop 218 ballot process the property owners were subjected to.
Residents’ emotions and frustration ran high enough that board Chairman Ray Castillo had to call for a five-minute recess to settle things down.
The recess came amid remarks made by Arturo Guevara, who has long been critical of the Niland Sanitary District’s and county officials’ perceived actions and inactions in regard to the district’s operations.
Although the district’s current financial and regulatory challenges are the result of past and current officials’ alleged neglect and improprieties, Guevara said, the residents are the only ones who ultimately are facing the consequences.
“You make it look like we are a community that refuses to pay for services,” Guevara said in Spanish.
Supervisor Ryan Kelley, whose district includes Niland, took issue with some community members’ characterizations that the county has neglected Niland and its residents.
He pointed to recent clean-up efforts that removed tons of waste, as well as funds that went toward improvements for the Community Center.
He also reminded those present that their vote on Tuesday was crucial for addressing the district’s existing problems.
The district currently finds itself out of compliance with state water quality regulations, and its sewer treatment plant is need of improvements.
Previously, residents here rejected a proposed sewer rate hike in July 2017 as part of the Prop 218 process.
Tuesday’s approval of the rate hike, and subsequent formation of a successor agency, will allow the newly formed district to obtain about $5.8 million in loans needed to finance sewer treatment plant upgrades.
The approved rate hike is also expected to cover the district’s operating and maintenance costs, as well as help pay off about $1 million in existing debt, Gay said.
The relatively small amount of ratepayers the district currently has falls short of providing the $243,000 needed annually to operate.
One community member pointedly asked Gay how county officials can expect property owners who struggled to pay the current sewer rate to suddenly start paying the increased rate.
The community member also asked what would happen to the soon-to-be created district if, as before, ratepayers fell behind on their sewer fees, placing the district’s solvency in jeopardy.
“If no one pays their sewer rate, then we’re going to have problems,” Gay said.