Dear Editor,
Last month, the City of Fairfield raised the base rates for water and wastewater service inside and outside of the city. These rates include those living in the Westwood utility system.
There has been a lot of confusion about these changes in Westwood. Let me take this opportunity to clear up some of this confusion.
In 2017, when the city purchased the Westwood water utility, the city agreed not to change water rates for one year. The city had not, but in the process the city found that it was losing money in the transaction. Therefore, in 2019, the city council discussed and voted to raise the base rate for everyone.
For Westwood, the intent has been all along to have these customers pay the same water rates as customers outside the city limits. For water, the base rate rose $5 for those living inside the city limits and $10 for those living outside the city limits. It had been explained previously, but many assumed Westwood would see a $10 raise in their base rate.
However, Westwood was not on the same rate schedule as customers outside the city limits. The previous base rate in Westwood was $34 for 1,000 gallons, not $36 for 2,000 gallons like customers outside the city limits. That base rate is now $46.40 for 2,000 gallons for all outside customers. Therefore, in actuality, the rate per 1,000 gallon base rate will decrease for Westwood customers than what they previously paid.
While this had been explained previously, many had assumed incorrectly. If those assumptions were made based on what they have heard from the city, I can only try to set the record straight.
Nate Smith
City Administrator
