Mariposa County Officials Meet With Angry North County Residents Over Proposed Water and Sewer Rate Hikes

Staff Report –

COULTERVILLE, Calif. – Mariposa County officials met with Coulterville and Don Pedro residents on Saturday about proposed rates hikes on water and sewer rates in Coulterville and sewer rate hikes in Don Pedro.

The people who packed the Coulterville Community Park Pavilion for the meeting were not happy and some accused the county of corruption, incompetence and mismanagement. Some said if the steep rate hikes listed in a recent consultant report were to go into effect it would render a number of people homeless who could not afford to pay the bills and turn Coulterville into a “ghost town.”

County officials countered by saying they are trying to find a way to solve the budget problem without an increase in rates. They insisted they do not have the power to raise rates without input from the people, and that they are trying to find other sources of revenue to cover an anticipated budget shortfall in maintaining the water and wastewater systems, including general fund money and grants.

This is a breaking, developing news story. More may be added as we study the documents and the problem and talk to more people.