S. F. supervisor wants to delay water, sewer rate increases
San Francisco Supervisor Ahsha Safaí wants to delay the city's adoption of newwater and sewer rates over concerns that they would be too expensive for many people and that ratepayers didn't have enough of a say.
Safaí sent a letter Monday to the city's public utilities commissioners asking them to postpone a vote scheduled for Tuesday afternoon on proposed new- three year rate schedules for water and sewer service, which are supposed to take effect starting in July.
The proposals would increase the average singlefamily residential water and sewer bill by 9% next fiscal year and about 8% for each of the two years after.
Safaí, who is challenging Mayor London Breed's re- election bid next year, said he was worried about how the proposed increases would affect customers, particularly those who make modest wages or are on fixed incomes. He also said ratepayers had not been involved enough in the process due to three vacancies on the seven- member Rate Fairness Board, which makes recommendations to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
“All over, we've been hearing from residents concerned about these difficult economic times and being asked for a significant increase,” Safaí said in an interview. “It's important to have the voice of everyday San Franciscans that are paying these bills weigh in before you make a final decision.”
John Coté, a spokesperson for the utilities commission, said in a statement Tuesday that Safaí apparently “misunderstands our rate- making process.” “The current rate package was developed after a comprehensive analysis by an independent consultant and a robust fivemonth public process with the input, guidance, and review of the Rate Fairness Board,” Coté said in an email. “That included six public meetings between January and May of this year, and three virtual community townhall meetings in April. The Rate Fairness Board has a quorum and did its job thoroughly.” Coté said Safaí had overlooked the fact that San Francisco has a nonprofit utility, so by law its rates “reflect only the cost of operating, maintaining, and upgrading our water and sewer systems.” He said that even after the current proposed rate increase, average San Francisco customers would pay less than than those in Los Angeles and Santa Clara and only slightly more than San Diego and San Jose. And starting July 1, customers at the lowest income levels will have their discounts increased from 25% to 40% of their water and sewer bill, he said.
Safaí said that if the commission did not delay its vote on the rates until after the vacancies are filled, he would ask his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors to consider rejecting the newrates at a later date.