Report 2013-126 Recommendations

To show water customers that they are attempting to keep rates reasonable, the California Water Service Company should maintain documentation to demonstrate any cost savings expected or achieved as a result of its cost-saving efforts.

To provide guidance to local public agencies in implementing the notice requirements of Proposition 218, the Legislature should enact a statute that specifies the level of detail required to satisfy the requirement that the notice specify the basis upon which the amount of the proposed fee or charge was calculated.

To ensure that Los Angeles County Waterworks, District 40 can demonstrate that it complies with the public notification requirements of Proposition 218, it should retain documentation demonstrating that it mailed required Proposition 218 notifications of pass-through rate increases to water customers during the period that the increased rates are in effect.

To show water customers that they are attempting to keep rates reasonable, Los Angeles County Waterworks, District 40 should maintain documentation to demonstrate any cost savings expected or achieved as a result of its cost-saving efforts.

To assist low-income water customers, Los Angeles County Waterworks, District 40 should work with its governing body to consider the feasibility of using revenues from sources other than water rates to implement rate assistance programs for low-income water customers.

To show water customers that they are attempting to keep rates reasonable, Palmdale Water District should maintain documentation to demonstrate any cost savings expected or achieved as a result of its cost-saving efforts.

To assist low-income water customers, Palmdale Water District should work with its governing body to consider the feasibility of using revenues from sources other than water rates to implement rate assistance programs for low-income water customers.

To ensure that water customers are able to have an understanding of how rate increases are determined, Quartz Hill Water District should include information in its public notices providing reasonably sufficient details of the basis of its fee methodology.

To ensure that Quartz Hill Water District can demonstrate that it complies with the public notification requirements of Proposition 218, it should retain documentation demonstrating that it mailed required Proposition 218 notifications of pass-through rate increases to water customers during the period that the increased rates are in effect.

To ensure that water customers are aware of pass-through rate increases, Quartz Hill Water District should adopt a schedule of fees showing how these increases will affect its tiered usage charges before the new rates take effect.

To ensure that its water customers have access to Quartz Hill Water District's rate methodology and other factors that help it determine rate increases, the utility should keep all documentation it uses to calculate or otherwise explain the need for rate increases for as long as the rate increases are in effect.

To show water customers that they are attempting to keep rates reasonable, Quartz Hill Water District should maintain documentation to demonstrate any cost savings expected or achieved as a result of its cost-saving efforts.

To assist low-income water customers, Quartz Hill Water District should work with its governing body to consider the feasibility of using revenues from sources other than water rates to implement rate assistance programs for low-income water customers.