During its Tuesday board meeting, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors plan to discuss a legislative proposal that would tax drinking water.
The proposal would essentially tax drinking water — most water district customers would see water bills increase about 95 cents per month — and use that to fund both long- and short-term water infrastructure improvements.
Monning lauded the governor’s move to include the bill in the budget.
“We all applaud the governor’s support for the communities throughout California that do not have access to safe drinking water,” Monning said in a statement earlier this year.
“The problem is real,” he said.
In the district’s official letter of opposition, he voiced concerns about passing on the costs to customers.
“We already have our hands full complying with the plethora of other well-intentioned state mandates that do very little to ensure a safe and reliable water supply,” the letter signed by Hull states.
“As the majority of our community is designated disadvantaged, it goes without saying that the district’s customers have limited resources to support additional mandates.” The McKinleyville Community Services District and the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District also oppose the proposal, according to the Board of Supervisors agenda packet.
Neither agency returned a call for comment from this reporter before the publishing deadline.
“It will fill a gap of covering unmet drinking water needs.” When asked whether it was problematic to ask those who are not affected by a lack of clean drinking water to pay for clean drinking water for others, Bohn said it was a matter of everyone doing their part.