Mesa Water District to Consider Rate Hike to Make Up Shortfall

The board of directors of the Mesa Consolidated Water District will consider increasing water rates today to make up for an anticipated $623,000 shortfall in next year’s budget.

Mary Urashima, spokeswoman for the agency, said the board has few money-raising options and must consider raising rates as a way of making up for the shortfall, caused by a combination of rising water prices and needed improvement projects.

“Other agencies get revenue from property tax and some have a lot of property they own,” Urashima said. “We rely on fees and charges paid by customers to raise money.”

Mesa Consolidated Water District customers pay, on average, $25 a month for water and each household uses about 150 gallons of water a day.

In recent years, the amount the district is charged by the agencies that supply water--the Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District and Orange County Water District--has increased, Urashima said.

The agency’s ongoing projects, including building a new 18-million-gallon reservoir, new wells and pipelines and a new treatment facility, have also put pressure on the district’s budget, she said.

“Just like anyone else, (our) cost of building and building materials is going up,” Urashima said.

Public hearings on the budget will continue on May 18 and 25 and June 1. Any rate increase proposals will be adopted at the June 1 meeting, which is scheduled for 2 p.m.