Some 65 thousand customers in Bakersfield could see a more than 20 percent hike in their water bills and more than 40 percent in the Kern River Valley. Monday night, residents sounded off against their water company.
Many residents at Monday night's meeting are fed up. They say Cal Water wants to drain their pocketbooks because it can.
"Our average water bills are 200 to 900 dollars. People can't afford that for water. It's water! And it's a real hardship for those on fixed incomes or single parents," said Kern County resident Rose Tice.
California Water Service Company says as customers use less water, the cost of a gallon of water goes up because the fixed costs of delivering the water remain the same.
"The challenge we have is that our rates are mostly based on fixed costs. So like like a home, your mortgage is a fixed cost. If you sleep in your home 20 days or 30 days you still pay the same amount," said Paul Townsley, Cal Water V.P. of Rates.
Those fixed expenses include water testing and other operational costs.
Another hot point for residents is the fact that Cal Water pays 100 percent of its employees retirement. Residents say that's not fair when their water bills have gone up two-, three-, and in some cases, four hundred percent over the years.
"It seems to me that if California Water Service was concerned about saving money at all, they would require their employees to contribute to the cost of their pension plans instead of having no contribution toward that," said Bakersfield resident Jeff Mendoza.
Cal Water says covering pensions is the norm for that industry and it's in the union's contract.
Cal Water says, because its customers have been conserving over the years, it has no choice but to raise rates but it's ultimately up to the Public Utilities Commission whether to grant Cal Water's request for a rate hike.
Many residents at Monday night's meeting are fed up. They say Cal Water wants to drain their pocketbooks because it can.
"Our average water bills are 200 to 900 dollars. People can't afford that for water. It's water! And it's a real hardship for those on fixed incomes or single parents," said Kern County resident Rose Tice.
California Water Service Company says as customers use less water, the cost of a gallon of water goes up because the fixed costs of delivering the water remain the same.
"The challenge we have is that our rates are mostly based on fixed costs. So like like a home, your mortgage is a fixed cost. If you sleep in your home 20 days or 30 days you still pay the same amount," said Paul Townsley, Cal Water V.P. of Rates.
Those fixed expenses include water testing and other operational costs.
Another hot point for residents is the fact that Cal Water pays 100 percent of its employees retirement. Residents say that's not fair when their water bills have gone up two-, three-, and in some cases, four hundred percent over the years.
"It seems to me that if California Water Service was concerned about saving money at all, they would require their employees to contribute to the cost of their pension plans instead of having no contribution toward that," said Bakersfield resident Jeff Mendoza.
Cal Water says covering pensions is the norm for that industry and it's in the union's contract.
Cal Water says, because its customers have been conserving over the years, it has no choice but to raise rates but it's ultimately up to the Public Utilities Commission whether to grant Cal Water's request for a rate hike.