A proposed water rate increase for Cayucos residents served by the county service area known as CSA10A would have increased rates by 15% next year and 5% each year after that until 2030.
The increase would have brought the minimum charge to $304.42 every other month.
Shelly Cone with San Luis Obispo County Public Works says the district is facing several financial pressures.
“Rising operational costs, aging infrastructure, and then current debt obligations," Cone said.
Under Proposition 218, if at least 441 protest votes were received from water customers, the rate increase would be blocked.
“We were successful," said Rachel Wilson, Cayucos Citizens' Advisory Councilmember. "We turned in 525 valid protest votes.”
Wilson says that she and other neighbors went door to door and sent mailings to collect protest votes.
Resident Cindy Pierce says she signed one.
“Well, until this increase came about it’s been okay, but this increase is just not reasonable, and I think that’s why you have more than enough people that have signed the petition,” Pierce said.
Although the increase did not pass, the debt remains. Cone said the county will now look at its options.
“Take a look again at where we can defer project maintenance, where can we save funds, are there alternative funding sources or strategies that we can put into play," Cone said. "So those things would come first; we would look at that."
At Tuesday's San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors meeting, District 2 Supervisor Bruce Gibson said the water district is currently eating into its reserve and the issue will need to be addressed.
At that same meeting, every person who spoke during public comment was against an increase. KSBY News caught up with multiple neighbors in the area on Wednesday morning, where only one said he was neutral about the increase because he rents and doesn’t have to pay for the water bill.
