We need your help right away. If the Oxnard City Clerk doesn’t hear from you by May 2, your opinion won’t be counted.
Here’s what’s going on.
On Tuesday (May 2) the Oxnard City Council will be holding a hearing to approve a sequence of water rate increases to be implemented over the next four years.
As proposed, a typical single-family residence will pay 24.3% more for its water bill starting July 1, 2023 and a cumulative 57.7% more by July 1, 2027.
And that will be on top of any pass-through of increased wholesale costs for water charged to the City by Calleguas Municipal Water District and United Water Conservation District.
But that’s not all!
Buried in the fine print of the City’s proposed ordinance, the City Council is granting itself authority to additionally increase rates anywhere from 3.9% to 58.7% if it declares that we’re in a water shortage situation…
…but what the notice doesn’t tell you is that the council has ALREADY declared that a Stage 1 water shortage exists.
That’s the City’s underhanded way of increasing water rates more than you would otherwise expect.
Finally, to add insult to injury, if you are already a lower-volume user of water than typical, the City’s proposal will cause you to experience a larger percentage increase than higher-volume users.
Proposition 218 allows residents the opportunity to formally protest rate increases, and if a majority of ratepayers do file a protest, the rate increase cannot be adopted.
And that’s where we need your help!
The City mailed out rate increase notices back in mid-March, and those included a protest form which can be completed and returned to the City Clerk to lodge your protest.
If you can’t find your copy of the notice, you can get a blank copy of the protest form on the cover page of the City’s Prop 218 notice posted on its website here: Online Proposition 218 Notice.
Download the booklet, print that page, complete the form, and return it to the city clerk. TODAY!
It should only take a minute or two of your time.
A protest can be filed by either the property owner or by a renter who pays the water bill, but only one protest can be counted per water account.
The form asks for your Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN), but that’s only needed if your property does not have a street address.
For your protest form to count, it must be received by the City Clerk BEFORE the conclusion of the hearing on Tuesday evening.
If you’re planning to mail it in, you really need to do that IMMEDIATELY to make sure it arrives on time.
If there is any doubt about whether it will arrive in time, bring it personally to the City Council meeting.
The regular meeting starts May 2 at 6:00 pm and the council chambers are located at 305 West Third Street.
Thank you very much for all your support. We have some tough battles ahead, and I just want you to know how much your support has been greatly appreciated.