ANAHEIM : City Approves 4% Hike in Water Bills

Households in Anaheim on Wednesday began seeing a 4% increase in their monthly water bills after the City Council passed a revenue-generating rate hike that will bring an additional $1.2 million to the company over the next year.

City officials say the rate increase will help offset decreased revenue that is expected as customers cut water usage because of the drought.

Rates for average single-family users will increase about 70 cents a month. But residents who are conserving water will see a smaller increase, and those using more will see a larger increase on their bills, city officials say.

Commercial and industrial user rates will increase about 9.5%, which is about $86.40 monthly.

The council approved the rate hike Tuesday on a 4-1 vote, with Mayor Fred Hunter dissenting.

Thirty-five-year resident Max Engel, a retired auditor, was the only person to speak against the rate hikes.

“We citizens are being penalized with this rate increase,” Engel told the council. “I believe it’s your responsibility to request and demand that the department’s cost structure not be accepted.”

The rate hike comes just one month after the City Council approved a similar 8% increase in residential electricity rates from the city-owned utility company.

The electricity price increase, which will go into effect in January, followed a 9% rise last October, bringing the total approved increases in less than a year to 17% per household. Rates had been stable since 1984.