Minutes 1993 0614 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Minutes - San Leandro City Council Meeting - June 14, 1993 Page 2 PUBLIC HEARINGS (continued) to reduce the City's costs, such as bringing Oro Loma's sewage through the City's plant. He said this year's study saw the same decline in industrial users. He said staff met with industrial users to review the rates and to find alternative methods for user charges. He said the users did not have a problem with the rates but were unable to come to consensus on the method for the charges, so the same process will be used as in prior years. He said commercial and industrial users were made aware that this is a two-year study, and rates will not necessarily stay the same in 1994-95. Mr. Lawson said rates for the coming year will increase by 13.5% on average, depending on the use. He said no change is proposed to the sewer connection fee. He described proposed changes in fees for Environmental Compliance inspection and monitoring. Council Member Kerr said the report was received on the Thursday before the Cherry Festival , and there was not enough time to study it. He said he can understand why industrial uses are down but expressed concern that households pay the same amount, no matter what they use, and an increase is being proposed. He said the homeowner has to pay for what the industrial user is creating, and he feels the uses that cause the problem should be paying for it, not the householder. He noted there were several meetings with the Chamber of Commerce and the Manufacturers Association but none with homeowners. He said he would like to see this matter put off so the Council could have more time for input and a meeting could be held with the homeowners' associations. Bob Taylor said the study is normally completed about the 5th or 6th of May; but, in working with the commercial and industrial users, the time period was expanded, and it set Mr. Lawson back in creating the report, which was not complete until May 21st. He said the meeting with the Chamber, originally scheduled for May 18th, had to be rescheduled. He said there was not enough time to organize a meeting with the homeowners' associations. Mr. Lawson said the entire community bears the burden when a user lowers discharge or leaves. He said the Water Pollution Control Plant was sized to meet an entire community's needs; and, when someone leaves, the size of the facility cannot be reduced. He said the unit costs for service go up, and they are identical for all users, in accordance with State and Federal regulations. He said, when an industry leaves, everyone's costs go up. Council Member Kerr said the people who leave cause the problem. He said the homeowners are producing less sewage than they were before, which takes less electricity, chemicals, etc. , and the cost per household is probably less than it was before.