BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Remember these sewer rate letters? Now, residents will have two chances—April 22 and May 13—to voice their opinion before a final decision is made.
Bakersfield City Manager Christian Clegg states that approximately 30 percent of residents did not receive the original Proposition 218 notice due to a mailing error. Proposition 218 is a California law that requires local governments to notify property owners before raising utility rates—and gives residents the right to protest those increases. “We have over 100,000 utility accounts that are a part of our sewer system, and there were 30,000 individuals who didn’t get that original notice.” He said.
Officials say the impacted addresses are scattered across the city, with the largest concentrations in zip codes 93311, 93312, and 93313. Clegg says the error wasn’t exclusive to just one part of town—it was the result of a computer technical error. Residents who haven’t received a notice should check their mail in the coming days. The city says anyone with questions can also contact the Bakersfield Utilities Department directly.
“We discovered, as we were double-checking and triple-checking our work, that we actually had some of our utility account holders who did not get the original notice, so we just resent that notice out to make sure everyone gets it. We also set another public hearing date so people have more time to get the notice, respond with a protest, or attend a public hearing.” Clegg said.
Two public hearings are now scheduled—April 22 and May 13—where community members can voice their opinions before a final decision.
“We didn’t plan it this way, and of course, this wouldn’t be my preferred outcome. We would have wanted to double-check all this in advance, but we are glad we caught this. What it has created is more opportunity for more people to have more time.” Clegg said.
Property owners can submit one written protest per property, formally objecting to the proposed rate change.
You can now submit your protest letter either by April 22 or the new deadline of May 13.
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