My current bill contains the following prorated credits: 1) $1.66 credit for "reversal of sewer base fee settlement increase"; 2) $2.34 credit for "reversal of sewer service charge settlement increase"; and 3) $6.50 for "sewer settlement credit". With the refund/credit amounts, the City of San Diego Water & Wastewater Services included a note at the bottom of the billing statement that says: "Effective July 1, 2008, your sewer charge is $58.98 per bi-monthly billing period". The notice continues to read as follows: "In February 2007, the City Council approved a series of 6.5 percent water rate increases." These increases were noticed last year by a "218" notice issued to all homeowners and tenants and contained a hard-to-see protest form. The City received so few protests that these increases were easily passed. The City Council even agreed to allow protests to be submitted on the day of the hearing and still, most citizens didn't attend or send someone to fill out the protest form at the hearing. We got these increases because we failed to take the time to use the process to say "no" to the then proposed increases. The reason I'm writing about last year's Prop 218 Notice & chance to protest is twofold: 1) All the work to inform the public on TV, radio, and via print media did not motivate the numbers of people needed to defeat the increases; resulting in the sewer credits from the settlement being offset by last year's rate increases; and 2) This comment should serve as a warning that there are other increases before the City Council where the people will again have the power to say "no".

If the City had allocated all of its earmarked resources for continued maintenance instead of using our money for underfunded pensions & whatever else it saw fit, there would never have been a dramatic infrastructure problem. I'm wondering where all of the previous increases over the years were allocated. It is hoped everyone will take time to learn whether or not the next rounds of increases are needed and if so, hold the City accountable to disclose other monies available to offset San Diego pilot projects and rate increases.

UCAN was selected by a judge to monitor the City water and sewer charges as a result of the sewer settlement in lieu of taking refund money away from ratepayers. Of course, there is now a big debate over the language of the bill insert and we will more than likely miss the first insert ordered by the judge, which stalls UCAN's ability to get the funds to hire the experts needed to serve as "watchdogs" over the water and sewer to protect San Diegans. See the specifics of this settlement in this section posted in 2006. If there's a way to create confusion & a lack of consensus, public officials and City, State & Federal staff will find it. San Diego is lucky to have a couple of very outspoken City personalities who continue to challenge, question and force answers that the "good ol' boys" don't like answering.