San Juan Bautista adopts sewer project mitigation report

The San Juan Bautista City Council approved on Dec. 14 a report on mitigations to be taken into account as the city moves forward on its project to outsource its sewage to the Hollister Wastewater Treatment Plant. The council also approved the introduction of a measure to increase sewage rates, which will come to a final vote on Dec. 21.

San Juan Bautista is required to meet federal Environmental Protection Agency approval on solutions to its wastewater problems, which have been subject to fines since 2007. The city is also required to meet the standards of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Terry Wissler Adam, Senior Principal of the EMC Planning Group, outlined the mitigations needed for the project as analyzed by her company. They include:

• Air quality impact, which would be minimized by the use of properly maintained construction equipment to minimize emissions.
• Possible impact to special status plants and wildlife, including the Congdon’s tar plant, American badger, San Joaquin kit fox, California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, coast range newt, western spadefoot, western pond turtle, burrowing owl, special status bats, and nesting birds and raptors which would require pre-construction surveys and permits from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Possible damage to wetlands and possible tree removal or damage, which would require delineation and monitoring of the wetlands, and the protection or replacement of trees as necessary.
• Impact on archeological resources which would require examination by an archeologist should artifacts be unearthed. Adam said that there has been no response from tribal leaders who were approached about this project.
• Possible greenhouse gasses emitted during construction and construction noise would require using “the best management practices for meeting standards and specifications.”

EMC’s report concluded that, after addressing the above mitigation measures, there would be no significant impact on the environment.
At the meeting, a comment was offered from resident Jackie Morris-Lopez, who brought up concerns about the project’s price and the city’s plan to hook up to the West Hills Water Treatment Plant.

With no further objections or comments, the City Council passed the resolution 4-0. Councilmember Scott Freels absent.

Following the vote, the council moved on to the introduction of an ordinance to increase sewage rates as discussed at the Nov. 30 Town Hall meeting.

Erik Helgeson, a project consultant at public finance advisors Bartle Wells Associates, presented a report that discussed the costs of the project and projected changes to the sewage rates. The areas of focus for establishing the new rates include inflation, debt servicing, expected increases in the Hollister treatment rates and the $12.85 million project costs.

The city is looking to several sources for money, including a $1.5 million cash reserve, $6 million in debt funding, and $5.4 million in grant funding.

The rates proposed at the Nov. 30 meeting show an increase from the existing $83.61 fixed monthly rate to $96.58 starting Feb. 1, 2022, with increases projected yearly through 2026. Residential and commercial customers would be charged the same, with an additional charge for businesses based on volume of use.

Helgeson pointed out that the rates San Juan Bautista residents would be paying is on the high end of charges paid by customers in nearby communities, including Hollister and Gilroy.

There were three written and three oral protests to the resolution, expressing concerns over the costs of the project and the control Hollister would have in setting rates in the future. However, the six protests were below the threshold needed to stop a vote on the resolution, which requires a majority of the public to register a protest.

Prior to the vote, councilmember John Freeman remarked that the rate study looks scary on the surface, but pointed out that the city is still actively looking for grants which, if they are received, will lower the cost of the project to the city, thereby lowering the monthly cost to residents.  

The motion to introduce the rate ordinance passed 4-0 with Freels absent. The council is scheduled to have a final vote on the ordinance on Dec. 21.

Councilmember Cesar Flores ended the meeting by saying it was a “hard decision, but sometimes we have to make these kinds of decisions that impact everyone. But we have to work together as a group and look to the future of our little village.”

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