Upset Over Rate Hikes: CCWD Recall Moving Forward
San Andreas, CA — The recent rate hike approved by the Calaveras County Water District has spurred a recall attempt of all five board members.
We reported last month that the CCWD Board voted 3-2 in favor of a new five-year rate plan. Notably, it increases the bi-monthly water base rate for the 5/8 meter size customers from $120 currently to $197 by 2027. The final amount was a reduction from the initial $248 that was proposed.
The steep rate hikes have raised contention from community members, as over 150 people turned out for the meeting when the directors voted on the plan. The three members who cast votes in favor were Scott Ratterman, Jeff Davidson, and Russ Thomas, and those opposed were Bertha Underhill and Cindy Secada.
In an interview after the meeting, Board Chair Ratterman argued that the vote was done to keep the district “solvent and the water flowing.”
A month later, disappointed with how things were handled, there is a citizen-led effort to recall all five members.
One of the proponents, Steve Blackwood, tells Clarke Broadcasting that recall petition drafts were submitted to the county recorder, for approval, as of nine o’clock this morning. The group hopes to hear back from the county election office by Friday so that they can begin collecting signatures. Once they receive the go-ahead, they will have 90 days to gather needed signatures from 25 percent of voters in each of the CCWD Districts. If that occurs, a special election would happen. Each district has between 5,600 to 7,200 voters. Since the districts have their own constituencies, it is possible that none, some, or all of the five board members would be on the ballot of a recall election (depending on number of signatures certified in each district).
The first in the series of CCWD rate increases take effect on October 16.
