Rohnert Park residents to pay nearly $110 more next year for water under newly approved rates

Rohnert Park customers can expect to pay an average of $9.10 more per month on their household water bills beginning in January as the city seeks to raise revenue for long-delayed capital projects, including repairs on aging tanks, water lines and wells.

A rate hike approved this week includes a 14% increase in the first year, 9% in years two and three, 7% in year four and 6% in year five. Overall, the hikes add up to 45%, meaning by 2030 the monthly increase will be an average of $28.73 over current residential rates.

For single family homes in Rohnert Park, the current monthly average bill is about $69.57. In January, the average household bill will increase to roughly $79.31 per month.

Restaurants and other businesses that use around 150,000 gallons of water per month will see their bill rise from about $935 to $1,066 come Jan. 1.

The rate hike was approved on a 4-1 vote, with Council member Samantha Rodriguez the lone no vote. She voiced concern about the burden on households.

“I can’t vote for this,” Rodriguez said. “I cannot bury my constituents. This is difficult because the city kind of failed with this on decisions previously made or not made.”

The city last raised water rates in 2022 — approving 5% annual hikes over five years — but it held off on raising sewer rates to ease the financial burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on residents. The current economic climate, Rodriguez said, is no better than it was three years ago.

“Fourteen percent?” Rodriguez said. “I’ve got people barely hanging on in this district.”

Under the structure approved Monday, rates are projected to generate an estimated total of $16.5 million above operating expenses over the next five years. That revenue will be used to fund a $5.6 million operating reserve, $1.5 million rate stabilization reserve and $3 million capital reserve — buckets that can be tapped for operations, maintenance, capital projects and mitigating financial risk during drought years when water use, and therefore revenue, drops.

Mark Hildebrand, a consultant hired to conduct a water rate study for the city, projected the city’s associated costs at $10.9 million this fiscal year — a 19% increase over last year. Part of the rising costs can be attributed to an 8.7% rate increase imposed by Sonoma Water, the regional wholesaler, which delivers 60% of Rohnert Park’s water; groundwater is the city’s other main source.

Rohnert Park’s costs tied to Sonoma Water deliveries have nearly doubled over the past six years, going from $2 million to $3.8 million, according to Hildebrand’s report, which projected continued annual rate hikes tied to the county water agency.

“The water agency hasn’t been able to give a long-term forecast but indicated next year will be a 12% increase,” Hildebrand said. The water agency is overseen by the Board of Supervisors and supplies water to about 600,000 customers in Sonoma and northern Marin counties.

Hildebrand also pointed to Rohnert Park’s 50-year-old infrastructure, which has become less reliable over the years as system failures have increased. The aging infrastructure, which includes tanks, wells and water mains, needs significant maintenance and repair, according to city staff.

At the top of the city’s list are well and tank improvements ($13 million), water meter replacements ($7.4 million) and a waterline replacement in A section ($1.2 million). In all, over the next seven years, the city seeks to complete 13 projects at an estimated cost of $46 million — a 92% increase since 2019, according to Hildebrand’s study.

April Gambino, who has lived in Rohnert Park for 20 years, told council members she understands the need for the increased rates, but voiced concern about the impact on senior and low-income residents.

“I understand the reason for wanting to increase the rates, but the rates constantly going up has been really difficult for me,” Gambino told the council. “I probably speak for my seniors and low-income people. It’s really tough. We have no alternative. We get no help and its getting harder and harder.”

Prior to 2022, the council approved water rates in July 2017, with an overall increase of 5% across a five year period. The charges also included a capital preservation charge, which varied from $7.50 to $240, depending on a household’s pipe size. The average household paid $24 monthly for the charge. 

The council approved a 7% sewer rate hike in September 2024. Monthly bills for single-family homes, which comprise 69% of the hookups within the city, increased a little more than $3, from $42.20 to $45.33.

Council member Jackie Elward said she understood angst over escalating rates, but noted that “costs are escalating five-fold every year. You’re going to pay now or pay more later.”

Rohnert Park is the latest city to approve new water rates over the past 18 months. Last year, Sebastopol and Healdsburg approved rate increases, and just this spring, Cotati and Santa Rosa approved rate hikes through 2029. Windsor proposed rate hikes earlier this year, which are still to be approved.

Amie Windsor is the Community Journalism Team Lead with The Press Democrat. She can be reached at amie.windsor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5218.