Wastewater Rates, Police Dispatch Center On Pinole Council Agenda

Revenue from two different sources will be the main items on the agenda when the Pinole City Council meets on Tuesday evening.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 2131 Pear St.

The council will hold a public hearing on a proposed rate increase for wastewater treatment. The hike, slightly less than 5 percent, would be the first in a five-year series of rate increases for Pinole residents.

Hercules also gets its wastewater treated at the facility on Tennett Avenue. Their residents are in the midst of an 8-year series of increases.

The council is scheduled to approve a rate plan after the public hearing.

The council will also discuss the shared police dispatch center it has with Hercules. The neighboring city has already given Pinole notice it plans to drop out of the agreement in October.

Pinole City Manager Belinda Espinosa said Hercules' departure would cost the city $450,000 in revenue.

The council will discuss its options, including decreasing Hercules payment, trying to find another municipal partner or disbanding its dispatch operation in favor of using another agency's dispatch services.

A public hearing will also be held on the city's 2013-2014 budget. The spending plan is scheduled for approval on the council's July 16 meeting.