Golden Hills board elects officers, sets public hearing for water rate increase

At a special meeting held on Jan. 25, the Board of Directors of Golden Hills Community Services District set April 20 as the date for a public hearing for a proposed water rate increase, according to General Manager Susan Wells.

On Jan. 19, the board reviewed and approved a water rate study that shows that if the district continues charging existing rates, it will be operating at a deficit by next fiscal year. The study was conducted by Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group of Bakersfield.

According to the study, with the proposed increase, in 2023 a single-family residential customer would see an average rate increase of about $5.07 per month. Overall, all single-family customers would see a total rate increase of between $2.55 and $6.93 per month, depending on usage. The board increased the base and consumptive rates for water by 4.9 percent effective last April 1 as part of a future increase policy approved through the Proposition 218 procedure in 2019. According to a resolution approved by the board at the time, the increase was in accordance with the Consumer Price Index.

The district is required to notify its customers of the increase in fees by Proposition 218 requires agencies like the GHCSD to conduct a vote of the affected property owners for any proposed new or increased assessment before it can be levied. If a majority of property owners protest, the district cannot make the change.

Wells said the required notices will be mailed by Feb. 6. Property owners will have 45 days to respond and also can participate in the April 20 public hearing.

The proposed rate increases also include a provision to further adjust rates every July for a period of five years. Rates may, but are not required to be, adjusted for inflation at the rate of a specific consumer price index.

A copy of the Water Rate Study is online at bit.ly/3XQndq7.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

The election of board officers was postponed on Jan. 18 because not all board members were present. At the Jan. 25 meeting, Wells said, John Buckley was reelected to the position of president and Joe King was elected vice president. Directors David Shaw and Scott Wyatt were elected as representatives to ACWA JPIA (Association of California Water Agencies Joint Powers Insurance Authority, a partnership of water agencies dedicated to avoiding the high cost of commercial insurance.)

The board also nominated Buckley as a representative to the Tehachapi Unified School District’s Citizen’s Task Force.