The city of Atascadero will consider an increase to rates for wastewater in its next meeting Tuesday, April 22nd.
The city’s system collects wastewater from properties to its wastewater treatment plant, originally built in the 1980s. The agenda says the system is in need of significant upgrades to replace its aging and undersized infrastructure, as the city’s population has nearly doubled since the construction of the plant.
The city is proposing increases of 18.5% to wastewater rates over the next two years to fund the impacts of rising costs, and need for critical upgrades of facilities and infrastructure. Rate increases follow proposition 218 processes, where outreach efforts will be conducted to inform the public of the proposed increase.
If a majority of property owners protest the increase, the city cannot impose the rate increase.
The item on Tuesday’s meeting is an initiation of this process, and not the final vote.
