As San Diego council members prepare to vote on major water and sewer rate hikes, the city’s independent budget analyst warns that higher rates are all but unavoidable in order to keep the Public Utilities Department afloat — and that not raising rates would hurt customers in other ways. The City Council is scheduled to vote on Tuesday on a proposal that could raise water rates for San Diego customers by more than 60% and sewer rates by more than 30% over the next four years. … Without additional revenue, the IBA predicts that the PUD will need to cut its expenses by slashing either its operating costs — likely by cutting staff — or its spending on capital improvements.

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