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Los Osos needs to reevaluate water rates

May 12, 2017

Back row: Roy Hanley, Renee Osborne, Lou Tornatsky, Marshall Ochylski. Front row: Jon-Erik Storm and Vickie Milledge.

OPINION by DOUG SCHEEL

The proposed Los Osos Community Service District (LOCSD) water rate increase is a heartless devastating plan to the citizens of Los Osos. Effective in June, if unchallenged, is a water rate increase of 298 percent for the most conservative water users. For water users who use the most water, it is only an increase of 133 percent.

That is the first problem with the proposed increase; for a water board that states they encourage water conservation, they are financially rewarding the worst conservators.

The reasons justifying this unrealistic increase, Los Osos citizens have been conserving too much water and they are not making enough to cover expenses. Also, there is a vague section about changes to administrative costs and reallocations of property taxes.

Well, I call it just poor planning when you fiscally enforce water rationing, and then complain people are doing such a good job rate increases are need. Like it was not possible to foresee revenue would go down when you sell less water? A plan should have been in place to address this reduction before conservation was enforced.

Administrative expenses have been increasing for the LOCSD in the last five years their annual budget postings show a 148 percent increase in salaries for the LOCSD water district (Fund 500), the largest expense of administrative costs. And reallocating property taxes; it is hard to understand shuffling money away from the LOCSD water district, when there is almost nothing else LOCSD does, other than support the expensive of the LOCSD board.

It is time to start over and work on a reasonable water rate increase plan that helps the citizens of Los Osos.

Doug Scheel is a 25 year resident of Los Osos who retired last year.


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After a couple of decades of LOCSD dysfunctional poor management and neglect of our water company, it should come as no surprise that the infrastructure is in costly disarray.


Low rates surely satisfy consumers & politicians in the short run, however, without capital reserves, as they do in the private sector it only leads to deterioration of the whole system which eventually has to be addressed. That is probably why the World Bank & Asian World Bank are still promoting & financing conversion to privately run water & sewer entities.


Check our Forbes Oct 5, 2016 article prompting a mix of both private & public to benefit cash strapped small communities.


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You haven’t seen anything yet!!!

Wait till the true rates for the Morro Bay Sewer Plant and Water Reclamation Plant come to fruition, the Bay News quoted a rate of $240 a month and they haven’t even started a project yet!!!


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NO! Los Osos needs to reevaluate the need for a CSD. It’s a simple task. Weigh the risks vs the benefits of the LOCSD for the past two decades. Then compare the failures to the successes. Finally, chart the overall damage it had done to a once peaceful, family oriented bay side community.

It will become abundantly clear what needs to be done.


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No problem, divide the sum of all costs and divide by the sum of meter units then multiply by PERS quotient. That will not be enough so double for growth estimates. If that’s to high then allow for property liens so that inheritance can cover the deferred costs.


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How else do you expect the Los Osos Community Service District to be able to pay such high salaries and give raises out?


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