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Page 2 of 11 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org <br />increasing costs and to ensure sufficient reserves for emergencies and future replacement of <br />infrastructure. <br />On December 18, 2023, the City Council last approved water rate increases for two years, starting <br />February 1, 2024 by 8% on average and starting January 1, 2025 by 7% on average. At the time the rates <br />were adopted, it was determined that the full costs related to the recycled water system could not be <br />fully assessed for inclusion in the rates until a Recycled Water Master Plan (RWMP) was completed. The <br />RWMP assesses the existing condition of the recycled water system, evaluates necessary expansions of <br />the system, and develops a plan of potential capital improvement projects (CIP) needed in the future and <br />their estimated costs. Since this document was not completed at the time, the water rates were updated <br />in 2023 to include all available and known costs related to the water and recycled water system. No new <br />water rates were proposed for 2026 with the understanding that the rates would need to be re-evaluated <br />once the draft RWMP was completed, including associated anticipated CIP costs. <br />With the expected RWMP and increasing operating costs, an analysis of the City’s Water Enterprise budget <br />and rates was necessary to ensure the City’s water rates sufficiently recover their appropriate expenses. <br />As a result, on November 4, 2024, the City Council approved an amendment for HF&H Consultants, LLC <br />(HF&H) to conduct a second phase of the water rate study. The Water Rate Cost-of-Service Study dated <br />July 8, 2025 is complete and included as Attachment B. <br />ANALYSIS <br />Revenue Required to Fund Water Enterprise (Revenue Requirement) <br />The first component of the Water Rate Cost-of-Service Study was to determine the revenue required to <br />support the Water Enterprise including operation and maintenance costs, capital expenditures, and the <br />cost to purchase water from the SFPUC, which accounts for 44% of the enterprise budget. The analysis <br />included a ten-year study period beginning in FY2025-26, however, updated water rates are only being <br />proposed effective January 1, 2026, January 1, 2027, and January 1, 2028. Over the Study Period, the <br />City’s revenue requirement is driven by increases to water purchase costs and capital improvement <br />expenditures. The City’s water supply source, SFPUC, intends to raise rates from $5.67 per hundred cubic <br />feet (HCF) to $5.80 per HCF for FY 2025-26. Current wholesale water rates of $5.67 per HCF in FY 2024-25 <br />will increase 4.6% to $5.93 per HCF in three years. The City’s capital improvement plans include an average <br />annual expense of $13.6 million over the projection period, demonstrating the City’s priority to continue <br />to invest in its water system. Most of the planned project expenditures are for improvements to the water <br />distribution system (i.e., pipelines), as well as storage and pumping infrastructure. The three-year <br />projections are shown in Figure 1 with FY 2024-25 provided for reference. <br />6.F. - Page 2 of 111 <br />79