Pinole City Council Approves Wastewater Rate Hikes

The Pinole City Council on Tuesday night approved a series of rate hikes for wastewater treatment services.

The hikes will take on July 1 of each year for the next five years. The initial increase is retroactive to this July 1.

The rate increases will average 3.5 percent over the five years. The charge for a single-family residence will rise from $52.77 per month to $62.55 a month at the end of the five years.

Dean Allison, Pinole's development services director, said the extra revenue will help pay for the $42 million in upgrades needed at the Pinole/Hercules Wastewater Treatment plant at the western end of Tennett Avenue.

Pinole is splitting the cost of the upgrades with Hercules. Residents in Hercules are also in the midst of a series of rate hikes over eight years.

The treatment plant was built in 1955. It was upgraded in 1972 and again in 1985 to accomodate growth in the two cities.

Right now, the plant serves a population of about 40,000 and handles an average of 3.5 million gallons of wastewater a year.

A report by city engineers states they expect zero growth in the plant's customer base over the next five years.

Allison added the plant's operation costs have actually declined slightly the past four years.

In other action Tuesday night, the council directed city staff to negotiate with Hercules officials to reduce that town's portion of the two cities' joint dispatch center fee by $100,000.

Hercules has given Pinole notice that it intends to pull out of the dispatch center agreement in October.

Hercules' departure would cost Pinole $450,000 a year in revenue.