Monterey One Water currently uses a third-party billing vendor to prepare and mail bi-monthly customer billings for wastewater service fees. Starting in Fiscal Year 2024-2025, the Agency is considering changing its billing vendor to the Monterey County Treasury-Tax Division via a property’s Tax Bill. This change will help address current billing tool limitations and improve the overall customer billing program. If approved, bi-monthly bills would stop after June 2024 and an annual wastewater service fee would be listed under the Fees Section of a property's Tax Bill. This would also eliminate the Monterey One Water annual lien process.
Transparency
This change will not impact Monterey One Water's process for setting rates. As a public utility, the Agency must follow the state-required process when proposing to change rates. Each property owner will continue to receive written notification of the proposed rate change along with justification for the proposal and a process for customers to vote on the proposal. The Board will also lead a budget workshop and a public hearing with opportunities for public comment before voting to set new rates.