Politics & Government

Sanitary District Takes Time-Out on Rate Increase

Board votes to hold special meeting to consider rate proposals.

The Ross Valley Sanitary District (RVSD) voted last night to slow down a by June 22. 

After listening to a dozen residents that all urged the district to reconsider the increase, board members chose instead of moving ahead to hold a special meeting on May 3 where they will consider how much of an increase to present to residents for public feedback.

“You’re going to continue to face an outcry,” said San Anselmo Town Council Member Tom McInerney at last night’s sanitary district board meeting. 

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A number of town council members from throughout the district came to ask the board to hold off.

“You’re rushing this decision through,” said Larkspur Council Member Dan Hillmer.

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Fairfax Council Member David Weinsoff urged the board to send representatives to the local town councils to explain the rate increase and present their position to the public.

A number of the nearly two dozen people who attended the meeting said they were concerned about a flyer that had gone out to residents telling them the sanitary district rates were in-line with other comparative districts, just before hearing that the district was asking for an increase.

“I feel like my money is being spent to send me glossy mailers telling me how great things are,” said San Anselmo Mayor Ford Greene.

Some of the board members said they also hadn’t seen the mailer until it arrived at their homes and that they also had concerns about it.

In a special workshop on April 7, General Manager Brett Richards presented a proposal to the board to raise rates from $520 to $904 for most residents and from $592 to $1,130 for Larkspur residents.

The difference is due to an annexation agreement from when Larkspur join RVSD that allows the town of Larkspur to keep slightly more of the basic property tax from its residents. In turn, the district charges Larkspur residents a slightly higher rate.

In addition to the annual rate, approximately 4.3 percent of the basic property tax (one percent of your home’s assessed value) goes to the sanitary district. By comparison, in Fairfax, 18 percent of that basic property tax goes to the town.

It was that proposal that board members decided was not ready to be presented to the public.

“The proposal is too high for what we even want to announce to the public we’re considering,” said Board President Marcia Johnson.

According to Johnson, the proposal presented on April 7 is what the district would do “in a perfect world.” Now, she said, the board has to balance that with what is realistic.

At the heart of the proposed rate increases is the need, said Richards at the April 7 meeting, to replace more of the district’s pipe every year. Of the district’s over 200 miles of pipe, 170 miles has been targeted as needing replacement in the next ten years. Currently, the district is replacing approximately two miles of sewer pipe per year.

The district did approve recently , which it said would help increase the amount of pipe being replaced at a lower cost.

Additionally, Johnson said, a large portion of the amount ratepayers pay to the district is passed on to the Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA) – which treats the wastewater for RVSD, Sanitation District #2 (Corte Madera) and the San Rafael Sanitation Agency. Of the $520 rate, $268.59 gets passed directly on to CMSA.

A common complaint among the RVSD board is that – a ratepayer protection law that requires public hearings. The CMSA board approves rates and rate increases, which are then passed on to the member agencies.

“CMSA has had a 108 percent increase in the last five years, but does anyone cover that,” said Johnson.

In the proposed RVSD rate increase is also the hiring of an additional 11 positions, which Richards said in his presentation would save the district money in the long run by not having to hire consultants.

“I find that mind-boggling,” said McInerney at the meeting, pointing out that the benefits and pensions would be costly, particularly in the winter when employees couldn’t be laying pipe. But said he was willing to keep an open mind.

Board Member Pam Meigs asked that at the May 3 meeting an option be prepared that didn’t include the additional positions. Board Member Frank Egger also asked that an option be included that would be the status quo.

The consultant will come back on May 3 with a number of options, which the board will consider. At that point, the district board will begin the Prop. 218 process – which sends out a 45-day notification to all residents and then holds a public hearing on the rate increase. 

San Rafael’s annual sewage rate is $620, while Corte Madera’s is $498.


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