The Orange County Register reports:
Garden Grove gets 19.7 % water rate hike
City Council members say the increases are necessary because the city’s cost of buying water has gone up.
GARDEN GROVE – Starting Sept. 1, residents’ water rates will go up 19.7 percent, with more rate increases on the way.
The City Council on Tuesday voted 4-1 to approve the rate increase, with Councilman Andrew Do voting against it. However, the council changed a staff proposal, which recommended that City Manager Matthew Fertal have the power to authorize future increases for the next five years.
At least 20 residents spoke at the packed meeting, almost all against the rate hike. A majority were senior citizens who said they were on fixed incomes. Almost all who addressed the council were also against Fertal being put in charge of future water rate increases.
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