The tap is about to get more expensive in San Diego, as the City Council, after heavy debate and public outcry, settled on significant water and sewer rate hikes that will roll out over the next few years. According to CBS 8, the council nodded through an amended rate increase, which will see water bills climb 14.7% next year and another 14.5% the following year; however, this is notably smaller than the initial staff proposal of a 63% water rate jump envisioned until 2029.
Despite the sharp divide, with a tight 5-4 vote Tuesday, the hikes as they stand now shelved the last two years of the initial plan—perhaps hopeful or desperate thinking that circumstances will turn better or downright different by 2027, while council members approving this squeeze argued that their hands were tied by the increases from the San Diego County Water Authority, which itself okayed rate hikes back in June, and inspired much of the city's present choices, as reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune. Critics of the rate plan, however, aren't buying it, pointing fingers at an apparent lack of diligence in finding cost savings or a deficit in transparency.
One of the louder voices of concern, Councilmember Vivian Moreno, told The San Diego Union-Tribune, that for many families, particularly in the South Bay, these adjustments aren't just penny-pinching—they mark a "make-or-break moment." On the other end of the chamber, Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert, who voted against the proposed hikes, suggested the city should play hardball, challenging the County Water Authority's hikes and inviting litigation if necessary. She told CBS 8, "I'm willing to take this to litigation." In response to some council members' resistance, Lisa Celaya, a city administrator, did not mince her words about the dire straits of a lesser increase: it would begin an immediate downward financial spiral.
