Utility rates in several smaller communities could go up tremendously and is an issue currently being considered by the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors.
One of those communities is Coulterville, where local residents are organizing two town hall meetings to discuss the situation.
“The clock is ticking,” said one announcement on social media.
The meetings will be held on Saturday, May 9 and Saturday, May 16, both at the VFW Lodge and both starting at 10 a.m.
They are being billed as “community ratepayer meetings,” according to the postings.
In addition, the posts emphasize an important point organizers are stressing: “These are community ratepayer meetings WITHOUT county staff as part of the program.”
Organizers said there will be handouts at the meetings that focus on the proposed rate increases. Those increases were presented by officials from Mariposa County Public Works officials during a recent meeting.
The information provided states the meetings are an opportunity to ask questions about Proposition 218 as well as “discuss potential solutions with other ratepayer.”
Prop 218 was passed in 1996 and restricts the ability of local governments to impose taxes, assessments and property-related fees without voter or property owner approval.
In Coulterville, the water and wastewater system serves 81 customers. The combined utility bill of $162 a month could go up 130 percent next year to $374. By 2030, it could be $804 a month.
In nearby Lake Don Pedro, the current monthly wastewater bill is $41.75 a month. Under one scenario, it could climb next year to $258 a month. By 2030, the monthly bill could be $358.
Other communities being impacted are Yosemite West and Mariposa Pines.
During a recent board of supervisors meeting, Public Works Director Shannon Hanson said the county subsidizing the districts is not sustainable.
Years of inadequate funding and deferred maintenance have put the systems at regulatory risk, she said.
Hanson said the utilities are unable to seek out grants or loans because they must show two years of operational stability.
If residents were to reject a rate hike again then receivership is a possibility.
“We’ve kicked the can down the road and there’s no road left,” said County Administrative Officer Joe Lynch.
Lynch said other county residents are essentially subsidizing those systems when the county loaned them $1.2 million.
It was noted during the meeting of the supervisors the county is going to be scheduling meetings in the various communities.
These two meetings in Coulterville are not part of the county’s planned meetings.
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