Santa Fe Irrigation District approves rate increase

The Santa Fe Irrigation District Board of Directors approved a scheduled 3% rate adjustment at its November meeting, according to a news release. The increase will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

The scheduled rate adjustment was a part of the board’s three-year rate structure approved in January 2020. Last November, the board voted to freeze any rate increases for 2021 and use reserves to absorb the 4.8% San Diego County Water Authority increases, citing fiscal management and impacts of the pandemic on the region and customers.

“As stewards of a precious resource, affordability and fiscal sustainability are two of the core tenets of SFID,” said Michael Hogan, board president in the news release. “This rate increase will allow the district to responsibly manage our costs while reacting to inflationary pressure of the marketplace as the pandemic eases. As we prepare for our next cost-of-service review in 2022, we remain committed to our customers and the sustainability of our finances and environment, as laid out in our recently approved Strategic Business Plan.”

To minimize impacts to customers, the board also approved utilizing the Local Water Fund to absorb the wholesale water rate increase of approximately 8.4% from the San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

According to SFID, the rate adjustment will impact each customer differently, depending on their meter size and water use. On average, customers with a ¾ inch meter will see an estimated increase of $7 per bi-monthly bill.