Manteca households will pay $18.39 more a month for basic water and sewer charges  starting with the May 15 billing cycle.

Also increasing are water use rates that vary significantly on consumption.

The end result of the action the City Council took Tuesday implementing the first sewer and water rates in 14 years will mean by mid-2028 the basic charge for the two municipal services will be $107 a month.

That reflects a $36.55 increase by July 2028 from the current basic combined rate of $60.45.

The rates will be bumped up on an annual basis with the biggest jump this May.

The first actual bills reflecting the new rates will appear in the mail in June.

The Proposition 218 hearing only registered 102 “no” written protests for the water hike and 76 “no” written votes for the sewer hike.

The rates would not have gone into effect had the city received 14,899 protest letters or half plus one of the 29,097 impacted residential and commercial customers.

The increase was conducted in accordance with the rigid outline voters imposed when they passed Proposition 218 in the 1996 statewide election to assert ratepayer input on rate hikes.

Comments made by those protesting the rate hike proposal included:

*Slamming the city for taking so long to increase rates that now require a bigger jump.

*Pleas to reduce the size of the initial hit on May 15 that they argued will be extremely hard for many low-income households to absorb.

*The city needed to further cut costs before raising rates that cover labor wages, electricity, chemicals, vehicles, stricter state mandated treatment standards, and replacement of aging pipes and equipment.

*Before increasing rates the city should try and secure grants from the federal and state government.

*The new rate hikes will make housing less affordable with one speaker saying he is already losing renters who have told him they are opting to rent in other cities because of the impending rate hikes.

*The city needs to its own DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) style budget cutting to get rid of waste and staffing.

The water fund is currently $6 million in the hole as revenue is at $12 million a year versus set annual operating and maintenance costs.

Besides reflecting increase PG&E costs — the number one operating expense for both funds — as well as those for chemicals, wages, and fuel, the new rates will address deferred capital improvement projects on lines including those that are a century old.

Currently, the lowest flat water rate for households based on those with a 3/4 inch connection is $17.15. That rate would go to $21.24 on May 15, 2025, $27.60 on July 1, 2026, $32.57 on July 1, 2027, and $34.53 on July 1, 2028.

Actual water use is charged per hundred cubic feet.

The current rate structure charges $1.03 per HCF up to 20 HCF. The charge is $1.35 per HCF for up to 300 HCF. After that, the per HCF charge goes to $2.72 initially.

It would start at $2.47 per HCF on May 15. 2025. It would then go to $3.22 on July 1, 2026, $3.80 on July 1, 2027, and $4.03 on July 1, 2028.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com