Water District To Discuss Rate Increases at Tuesday Workshop

--Notification from Alameda County Water District

UNION CITY, CA - The Alameda County Water District (ACWD) Board of Directors will conduct a series of financial workshops over the next several months to discuss and evaluate rate design concepts, drought surcharges and the launch of a customer assistance program for low-income customers.

The Board’s decision to host a workshop series was made during a Sept. 30 workshop following presentations by ACWD staff and Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc. (RFC), ACWD’s consultant, on the various financial options and choices facing the district.

“This is the first time we’ll host an extensively planned workshop series,” said Board President Martin Koller, “and it is an excellent opportunity for customers and others to learn more about our financial processes and the decisions before us,” added Koller. He added transparency remains a top district priority.

At the Sept. 30 meeting, the Board instructed ACWD staff to evaluate a number of finance and rate-design concepts. The upcoming workshop series will delve deeper into the specifics of each topic. Some of the topics are concepts already adopted in much of the industry, while others, such as the potential customer assistance program for low-income, are more innovative.

“More exhaustive workshops will allow discussion of each subject in greater detail and permit staff and our consultant to demonstrate how each piece may or may not fit into the bigger picture and align with ACWD’s goals,” said ACWD Manager of Finance Shelley Burgett.

Topics to be covered during the workshops include: Rate Design (e.g., tiered and water budget-based rates), Drought Surcharges, Consideration of Multi-Year Rate Adjustments, Customer Assistance Program, and Late Payment Fees.

The purpose of the workshops is for staff to provide alternatives and receive feedback from the Board.

The schedule for the financial workshops is tentative, as follows:

Dates:

• December 8, 2015
• February 17, 2016
• March 21, 2016
• April 28, 2016
• May 26, 2016
• June 30, 2016

Time: 4 p.m.

Location: Alameda County Water District Headquarters

Multi-Purpose Room

43885 South Grimmer Boulevard

Fremont, CA 94538