Marin Municipal Water District defends plan for huge rate hike
The Marin Municipal Water District is poised to adopt one of its largest rate hikes in decades on Tuesday — a move that will increase water costs for customers by about 20% — but staff costs are not the driver, utility officials said. Agency staff and governing board members said one of the primary reasons behind the increase is to create new water supplies to avoid what occurred in 2021, when the agency faced the possibility of depleting its reservoirs amid a historic drought. … A common point of debate among ratepayers is how much of their water bills are going to staff wages, pensions and other benefits. Staffing costs account for about 40% of the district’s overall budget, but only comprise 4% of the proposed rate hike set to go before the board on Tuesday, said Bret Uppendahl, the district finance director. In 2022-2023, the district operated on a $116.1 million budget, which includes an operating budget of $92.2 million and a capital budget of $23.9 million.