TS Eureka rejects water, sewer rate hikes

After several meetings and public outcry, the Eureka City Council voted unanimously to hold off on raising water and sewer rates and establish a citizen task force to help create new rates.

Although not enough protest letters were sent in to legally stop the hike, council members agreed that the rates were too high for people to handle at this time, the notification process was too confusing and senior citizens shouldn't be hit with such high rates.

If it had been approved, the rates would have increased by 66 percent for water and 87 percent for sewer in the next five years. The rates also included a method for calculating rates, which included Proposition 218 guidelines...