From:Mark Schmitt
To:City Council
Subject:Proposed Water and Sewer Rate Increase
Date:Friday, September 15, 2023 1:38:19 PM
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Dear City Council Members,
I am writing to express my extreme opposition to the proposed water and sewer rate increase. I just wrote a comment to the Cal Coast News opposing the recent 3-2 vote by the County Board of Supervisors for voting to discontinue their support of Proposition 13 by using a “backdoor” tactic to raise our property taxes. The Board majority voted to support parcel fees and bond issue increases by the State, as well as flip the 2/3’s majority vote guaranteed under Prop 13 to a simple majority vote to make it easier to increase property taxes. Rather than manage the budget responsibly, these elected officials, in the majority, want to pay for their tax and spend policies on the backs of the County's property owners.
In a period when inflation is rampant, and many in our City are living paycheck to paycheck is not the time to burden us with this rate increase. As noted above, the City of Pismo Beach is not the only entity attacking our wallets on a regular basis. I have plenty of clean water at my house and I surf in a clean ocean environment under our current water supply and wastewater treatment infrastructure. A 23% increase in our water and sewer rates over the next 5 years cannot be justified given our current situation.
I wish to go on record in opposition to this proposed rate increase and I hope I’m among those 51% who voice their opposition as well, so we can put a stop to this unnecessary expense.
Sincerely,
Mark Schmitt
Pismo Beach