Water Rate Hike to Be Discussed

The City Council has scheduled a public hearing tonight to discuss raising the water rates paid by thousands of city residents.

Under a plan recommended by the city staff and a council subcommittee, rates in Camarillo would go up by about 6%--or $1.34 for a family using approximately 9,000 gallons a month.

Water bills in Camarillo are based on a basic fixed usage fee and a variable cost. The dual rate system is designed to charge customers a fair monthly water rate based primarily on usage.

Each customer’s variable rate is figured on the amount of water used each month. The more water a household or business uses, the more that customer pays for each unit, a measurement set at 748 gallons.

But customers also are charged a fixed rate based on the size of the water meter at their home or business. Those fees rise as the meter size increases.

For example, for a family home that uses 12 units a month--about 9,000 gallons--the total water bill would increase from $23.33 a month to $24.67.

City officials blamed the increase on continuing hikes in the cost of water from the Metropolitan Water District, which supplies about half the water used by the city of Camarillo.

The public hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Camarillo City Hall, 601 Carmen Drive.