This proposed sewer rate increase option is a compromise of sorts between a model that's more "bare bones" and another option that would have seen more of a rate increase. | Screenshot

Previously:

• Sewer Rate Increase May Be In the Pipeline For 3,300 Del Norte County Customers; Supervisors Ask About Consolidation Process

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Del Norte County supervisors will decide whether or not to increase sewer rates for roughly 3,300 customers living in the unincorporated Crescent City area on Wednesday.

The Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Though people will be able to comment on the proposed rate increase, property owners wishing to stop it should submit their protests in writing. If a majority of property owners submit protests, supervisors will not be able to impose the rate increases, according to a county notice.

If approved, annual sewer bills for property owners in the CSA-1 service area, which includes the Bertsch-Ocean View and Elk Valley Road areas outside Crescent City limits, would increase annually for the next five years.

Starting from the current $72 rate, property owners would pay $108 annually in fiscal year 2024; $135 in fiscal year 2025; $155.25 in fiscal year 2026; $166.12 in fiscal year 2027; and, finally, $176.08 per year by 2028.

These rates are included with the property taxes homeowners and business owners in the district pay each year.

In May, County Engineer Jon Olson told supervisors that increasing rates was necessary to avoid a deficit in the CSA’s operating and maintenance budget. The current rate generates about $240,000, which is just enough to meet the county’s operating and maintenance expenses for the 2023 fiscal year, according to

The county's proposed sewer rate increase applies to 3,300 customers living within its Assessment District 1 area. | Screensho

Zachary Van Dinther, an economist at Robert D. Niehaus.
Del Norte County hired the Santa Barbara-based consulting firm to conduct a sewer rate study.

The rate study’s goal is to create a reserve balance of $550,000 by fiscal year 2028, Van Dinther told supervisors in May.

To propose the rate increase, a hard copy must be submitted to the county that states whether it is submitted in opposition to the proposed rate increases. The protester must provide the location of the identified parcel and include the name and original signature of the person submitting the protest.

Written protests can be mailed to or submitted in person at the Del Norte County Clerk-Recorder, 981 H Street, Suite 160, Crescent City, CA 95531.

The protests can also be submitted at the conclusion of the public comment period during the public hearing. For more information, click here.

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