Water bills are set up to go up by around $5 for most residential customers in the Tri-City area.
On Thursday, the Alameda County Water District board of directors unanimously approved increasing water rates and fees and private fire service rates by 4% for each of the next two years on March 1. The board voted 4-1 to increase the drought surcharge, which is also set to go up each of the next two years on March 1, with Director John Weed opposed.
Proposition 218 was passed in 1996 and gave residents the power to prevent government agencies from raising property-related fees, such as water fees, if the majority of parcel owners agree.
The district reportedly received 256 protest ballots, which was below the necessary threshold of 43,475 protest votes. There are 86,948 parcels in the district’s boundary and one protest vote is allowed per parcel.
Read more about why the district is increasing water rates here.
