Proposed Three-Year Rate Adjustment
At the Sacramento Area Sewer District (SacSewer), our charge is clear—protecting public health and the environment for the many communities we serve. We deliver on this mission in a number of different ways, including collecting and treating billions of gallons of sewage every year. To do that, we must ensure our pipes, pump stations, and resource recovery facility are in top operating condition. This allows us to continue providing the uninterrupted, reliable service our customers have come to expect.
Being responsible stewards of our ratepayers’ money is a job we take very seriously. It is important to both our Board of Directors and staff that we do everything we can to keep rates affordable for our customers. Each year, we update our Long-Term Financial Plan that features a ten-year financial forecast, an analysis of economic trends impacting SacSewer, the ten-year Capital Funding Projection, and debt management status. We review sewer rates on an annual basis and strive to minimize rate increases for customers where possible.
While we have not had a rate increase in many years, like many other public agencies, we are experiencing mounting financial pressures and increased costs across the board due to the historically high inflation environment that has characterized the U.S. economy. To cover the increased operating and capital project costs, SacSewer determined a sewer rate adjustment is needed over the next three years, starting in July 2024.
Notices
What to Expect
As a result of SacSewer’s commitment to being good financial stewards of our ratepayers’ dollars, SacSewer has not had a rate adjustment in 14 years for sewage collection services and six years for sewage treatment and resource recovery services. Since 2018, the producer price index for the utilities industry has increased by over 42 percent, with an annual average inflation rate of 7.3 percent. Since July 2020, SacSewer’s collection system operating costs have risen by 25 percent, and the treatment and resource recovery operating costs are up by 34 percent. This has significantly impacted SacSewer’s financial outlook.
The recommended three-year plan results in the lowest total increase to our rates. All revenues collected through sewer rates will be used to cover increased costs needed to provide ongoing reliable and cost-effective sewer service to the communities we serve.
The adjustment in sewer rates will allow SacSewer to cover costs associated with the following:
Critical repairs and maintenance for SacSewer’s aging infrastructure and facilities*
Increased costs for materials required for sewage treatment, some of which have increased 300% in recent years
Inflationary adjustments for operations, labor, energy, and construction expenditures
*For SacSewer sewage collection customers only
Did You Know We Offer Financial Assistance?
We are pleased to offer the Sewer Lifeline Rate Assistance Program which provides income-eligible customers an opportunity to save money on their sewer bill.
Hear from SacSewer
SacSewer is committed to proactive, two-way communication throughout the rate adjustment process to maximize awareness. A series of informational public meetings have been scheduled for our ratepayers to help explain the need for increased revenues.
6300 Fountain Square Drive, Citrus Heights, CA 95621
South Flex Room
Thursday, March 7 | 6-7:30 p.m.
52 Natoma Street, Folsom, CA 95630
RG Smith Room
Tuesday, March 12 | 6-7:30 p.m.
2450 Meadowview Rd., Sacramento, CA 95832
Room #106
Tuesday, March 19 | 6-7:30 p.m.
Sacramento Area Sewer District Headquarters
10060 Goethe Road
Sacramento, CA 95827
Tuesday, March 26 | 6-7:30 p.m.
*This meeting will also have a virtual option. Join by following the steps below.
From a desktop:
- Enter this URL into a web browser: https://zoom.us/join
- Enter the Meeting ID: 161 878 2536
- Enter the Passcode: 1234
From a mobile device:
- Enter this URL into a web browser: https://zoom.us/join
- Download the Zoom app
- Enter the Meeting ID: 161 878 2536
- Enter the Passcode: 1234
If you weren’t able to attend a meeting, you can watch a recording of our March 26 meeting below.
Rate Hearing Process
Public Hearing
SacSewer’s Board of Directors will consider the proposed rate increase plan at a public hearing on:
April 10, 2024, at 9:30 a.m.
Sacramento County Administration Center
Board Chambers
700 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Written Protest
If you are the owner of a parcel or parcels subject to the proposed rate, you may file a written protest before the public hearing. Written protests must be received prior to the April 10, 2024, public hearing. E-mail protests will not be accepted. Protests must contain a description of the legal property, such as the address or parcel number. If, by the close of the public hearing, written protests against the rate increases are not presented by a majority of property owners, SacSewer’s Board of Directors may adopt an ordinance to increase the rates.
If you receive sewage collection, treatment, and resource recovery services and received the blue notice, written protests may be sent to:
Sacramento Area Sewer District
PO Box 277068
Sacramento, CA 95827-7068
If you receive sewage treatment and resource recovery services and received the green notice, written protests may be sent to:
Sacramento Area Sewer District
PO Box 276905
Sacramento, CA 95827-6905
About SacSewer
Serving 386 Square Miles
The present-day SacSewer was previously known as two separate agencies, the Sacramento Area Sewer District (SacSewer) and Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San). The former SacSewer provided sewage collection services, and Regional San provided treatment and resource recovery services. In January 2024, the two agencies legally merged into one, resulting in a consolidated sewer utility, called SacSewer.
Contact Us
For general questions regarding this proposed rate increase plan, please contact us.
