A utility rate study is an evaluation of the costs incurred to provide utility services to customers and an analysis of the customer rates to ensure they are fair and reasonable. 

A utility rate study is commonly performed by an independent financial consultant hired by the utility provider, in this case, by the City of West Sacramento. Factors that may be considered in a utility rate study include the cost of providing service, 支付这些费用所需的收入, the number of customers, the usage patterns of customers, 以及公用事业供应商所处的监管环境.

公用事业费率研究通常每三到五年进行一次, depending on the size and complexity of the utility provider and the regulatory environment in which it operates.

The results of a utility rate study are used to determine whether rates should be adjusted, and if so, by how much. 研究结果也可用于制定符合政策目标的利率结构, 比如环境和财政管理. 

A cost-of-service analysis is a study that evaluates the costs incurred by a utility provider to provide services to its customers and determines the appropriate rates to be charged to ensure that those costs are recovered in a fair and reasonable manner.

费率设计是向客户收取的费率结构, 包括收费类型(如固定收费或可变收费), and the levels of those charges.

The City’s utilities are funded in large part by the rates customers pay via Enterprise Funds. 企业基金与城市普通基金是分开的. 客户付款确保了伦敦金融城提供高质量海洋之神登录入口的能力, reliable water, wastewater (sewer), and solid waste (trash) services in a manner that values our environment and community, 并维持交给海洋之神官方网站照顾的资源. 伦敦金融城致力于善治, 财政问责制和透明度, with systems and policies in place to earn the trust of our ratepayers and constituents. 

No. 根据法律，海洋之神官方网站不能向顾客收取超过提供海洋之神登录入口成本的费用. 每个公用事业公司都是自筹资金的，所以它的收入必须等于它的支出. Our system is owned by our customers and governed by the City Council; we do not have shareholders or pay dividends.

Rates studies are conducted as an industry best practice to ensure that a utility’s financial health is maintained and that the City is setting a course toward meeting future financial obligations. The industry standard is to perform comprehensive rate studies every three to five years. 伦敦金融城的上一次利率研究是在2017年.

Rates must cover the cost of service and maintain prudent reserves in case of an emergency, such as an earthquake or wildfire, 这可能会破坏重要的基础设施.

With any new rate adjustments, the City will be able to budget and fund the annual level of capital reinvestment needed to upgrade obsolete equipment and replace infrastructure at the end of service life, 提供经济上和运营上可持续的水, sewer, and trash services.

加州新的有机废物法规于1月1日生效, 2022, and added additional cost pressures to solid waste and disposal rates for nearly every city and county in the state. Costs associated with implementation and updating and adding infrastructure are some of the factors for potential solid waste rate increases. 

从目前的费率和收费结构中获得的收入在财政上是不可持续的. 费率必须跟上系统运行的成本. 城市正在引导这些急需的水, sewer, and trash rates studies to develop a new 5-year rate structure to financially support the utilities’ current and future needs. 公用事业海洋之神登录入口也同样受到通货膨胀的全球性影响. 费率必须与运行每个系统的成本保持一致, 过去两个财政年度的税率都没有更新过. 纽约市的水费是根据供水的实际成本计算的, sewer, and trash services, nothing more. We raise rates when necessary to cover operating and capital costs to maintain the systems. 

Proposed rates are determined following evaluation and analysis of cost escalations related to operation and maintenance, costs to purchase water, water and wastewater treatment, capital projects’ costs, general inflation, and material cost increases. California’s Proposition 218 requires local municipalities to follow certain procedures when proposing a rate adjustment to services such as water, sewer, and trash services. A property owner has an opportunity to protest the proposed rate increases if they feel they are unwarranted. Under Proposition 218, 纳税人会收到一份公告，详细说明建议的差饷调整, the protest process, 以及市议会公开听证会的日期. 客户可以在45天内通过书面程序对费率调整提出抗议. In the Public Hearing, the City Council will review customer protests and consider approving or denying rate adjustments. 伦敦金融城应该受到多数客户的抗议吗, 不会调整费率.

不可以，企业基金只能用于特定的企业基金项目.

If rates are not raised, the City would have to make hard choices regarding the levels of service provided to the community.

纽约市聘请了一家在加州公用事业费率研究方面具有专长的咨询公司. 他们的工作范围包括制定长期的水资源财务计划, wastewater, and solid waste services and assisting with the California Proposition 218 process and public hearing for rate adoption. 费率研究包括一系列涉及数据评价的步骤, performing technical analyses, deriving customer rates, 了解任何修改对客户的影响. Once rate proposals are determined, each complete study is documented in a Study Report to serve as part of the City’s administrative record.

In California, all parcels connected to a utility system must be given notice of any rate changes with the ability to protest the proposed rates. The notice details the proposed rates, 计算建议费率的基础, 提议加息的原因, the details of the public hearing, 以及纳税人或业主的抗议权. After a protest period of no less than 45 days, the City Council can conduct a Public Hearing. 没有多数人反对税率提案, 市议会可根据公告选择采用差饷.

The City is committed to using industry best practices to ensure we thoughtfully plan for the future. Utility rates are an investment in our infrastructure today to secure our systems for the future. Revenues derived from water, sewer, and trash rates ensure the continuity of operations and reliable service delivery to nearly 55,000 people. 差饷用于支付提供公用事业海洋之神登录入口的费用.