ARVIN, Calif. (KERO) — During the last City Council Meeting, members of the City Council voted to increase sewer rates in Arvin and it’s a decision that some residents are not happy about.
- Video shows how some residents in Arvin are opposed to the new sewer rate increase passed by the City Council.
- According to city officials, the increase is needed to replace old equipment at the city's Wastewater Treatment Plant.
- The new rates will be implemented starting July 1st of this year and will increase annually thereafter until July 2028.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
During the last City Council Meeting, members of the City Council voted to increase sewer rates in Arvin and it’s a decision that some residents are not happy with.
"The medium income for Arvin is 35 thousand or less and there are a lot of individuals who are on a fixed income who will be impacted," said Arvin Resident Carlo Guerrero.
Like many other residents, Guerrero says he first heard about the proposition in April, through a notice he received in the mail.
At that time, I spoke to Arvin City Manager and Finance Director Jeff Jones who told me the city needs a tax increase since it hasn’t been done in over seven years.
"The cost of living has caught up with us," said Jones, "So we need to get the plant on fiscal sustainability for revenue and then we have to have some additional money for capital so we can repair some of our sewer lines that are over 50 years old."
During the City Council Meeting on May 14th, the 3 out of 5 council members voted to move forward with the proposition.
Beginning in July, residential, multifamily, and non-residential customers can expect to see a 77-dollar increase in their sewer bill.
The five-year plan will increase the rates each year and by 2028 the total increase for single-family and multi-family units and business will be 203 dollars.
And though he is aware that the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant is an aging infrastructure Guerrero said the council’s decision was precipitated and did not allow for community input.
"One of the concerns that I have is where is this money going to go for the rate increase and how is this going to hit Arvin residents as a whole," said Guerrero.
The new rates will be implemented starting July 1st of this year and will increase annually thereafter until July 2028.
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