County proposes rate hikes for Sheridan, Jobs Peak water systems

Southwest Carson Valley water users may be feeling a little like the biblical Job after Thursday's hearing on a rate increase for their system and Sheridan Acres.

Douglas County commissioners will discuss increasing the rates for the 55 customers of the Jobs Peak Water System from a flat fee of $65 a month to $271.71 or metered rates that would see the stingiest of water users paying $171.32 a month. The estimated summer rate would go to more than $370 a month.

The 91 customers of the Sheridan Acres water system will see an increase in costs from their flat rate of $125 a month to a flat rate of $142.50. Metered customers would average $94.59 a month in the winter and $189.98 a month in 2010.

Sheridan rates would go up to a flat fee of $235.41 by 2012.

Jobs Peak customers would pay $422.80 a month by 2012, unless the county does something to reduce the costs, according to a study by consultants FCS Group out of Redmond, Wash.

Two factors built into the rate increases are the transfer of administrative costs from the county to the water system. The other is the lack of capital funding to ensure the county doesn't have to pay should the systems break down.

The rate structures presented on Thursday would be in effect until the county completed work on consolidating administration of its water systems.

Depending on what county commissioners say, the rates would come back to them on Sept. 3 for implementation.

The county operates seven different water utilities between Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe. The size of those utilities range from the smallest at the fairgrounds which serves about three-dozen customers to the East Valley water system that serves more than 2,400.

By consolidating the funds for both the Tahoe and Valley water systems, rates would go up to an average of $70 a month, which would mean residents of East Valley would pay almost double their existing rate of $32.

But that would lower the costs to smaller water system customers, such as Sheridan, Jobs Peak, and the fairgrounds.