The San Diego City Council on Tuesday punted a decision on adopting a new structure of water rates that would lower bills for apartment buildings but increase them for most single-family homes. The proposal is intended to bring the city into compliance with Proposition 218, a voter initiative from 1996 that regulates fees charged by local governments, including fees for water service. In 2015, a group of water customers sued San Diego, arguing the city’s tiered rate structure for single-family homes violated Prop 218, which requires water agencies to charge customers no more than their proportional cost of the service. The city argued the higher rates charged to the heaviest water users were a lawful way to incentivize conservation. But the courts sided with the plaintiffs, finding the city had not presented enough evidence to justify its tiered water rates.

Other water bill news:

• Los Angeles Times: Californians are paying some of the highest water bills in the country
• CBS8 (San Diego): San Diego City Council considers changes to how residents are billed for water
• Voice of San Diego: How San Diego tenants went on strike over their utility bills – and won
• The San Diego Union-Tribune: New state law could help San Diego revive lower water rates for people who conserve
• San Diego Union-Tribune: Opinion: Water costs are quietly killing San Diego County farms