By Julie BUTCHER

On Tuesday night, the Glendale City Council once again delayed action on a proposed steep five-year water rate hike – at least until next week. The council did not close the formal public hearing thereby allowing for the continued submission of written protests from affected property owners.

Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian thanked those packing the council chambers, observing, “So many new faces showed up here tonight to voice their opinion; this is what community engagement is all about and I appreciate that.”

Glendale residents lined up to speak.

“Phillip” lives in the Verdugo Woodlands neighborhood. 

“In January, our water rates will go up 53% on average, then they go up another 11, 10, 10, and 7%. By 2031, our water bills will be more than double what they are today. GWP’s own slides tonight show inflation was 29% over the past eight years. Water rates went up 7.5%, zero [percent] in 2025 and zero in 2026. That was a choice. Now residents are asked to pay for it in one January.

“By 2031, the average bill goes from about $73 a month to about $160 a month. My own water bill will go up by almost $3,000 a year.

“Among other reasons, we’re told this is about aging pipes. But the slides show only about $100 million out of $474 million for new pipes. Actual capital spending fell to $1.7 million in 2024. Now GWP promises $20 million a year – four times its recent pace – plus $40 million in bonds. If pipe spending fell to less than $2 million a year, why should we believe the next five years will be different?” he asked.

Phillip demanded three things: phase in the first-year increase instead of the shock of a 53% increase; publish a project-by-project capital plan; and report every year on promised versus actual capital spending.

GWP Assistant General Manager of Water Chisom Obegolu reviewed the timeline of the new Water Master Plan and cost of service analysis (COSA) that started in late 2024. On Sept. 26 of this year, the council authorized the required Prop. 218 notices. 

The proposed plan includes $100 million in infrastructure spending over the next five years: $30.4 million to replace aging pipes and to extend recycled water to nearby parks and green spaces; $10.6 million for fire protection systems improvements; $42.3 million to rehabilitate pumping stations, reservoirs and to install permanent generators; and $15.3 million to replace aging meters to improve billing accuracy.

There are three components to the rates charged for municipal water: variable water charges that are based on usage; a fixed meter charge based on the size of the meter; and a pumping charge based on the cost of energy needed to deliver water to higher elevations. GWP has divided the city into seven zones. Approximately 90% of water customers live in Zones 1-3, the zones at the lowest elevations. 

Obegolu shared the outreach that was done and shared the extensive information the utility has made available to the public, including the online water bill estimator, at www.glendaleca.gov/ProposedWaterRates or by calling (855) 550-4497. He shared several examples showing an average increase of $21 – $26 per month for single family households and average increases of between $72 and $87 per month in the highest elevation – Zone 7, home to 47 GWP customers. A renter in a 10-plex would see increases of $21 – $24 per month, on average.

Obegolu reminded the council that July’s catastrophic water main break in West Hollywood was caused by the failure of a 110-year-old, 36-inch steel pipe. 

“Right down the center of Glendale Avenue, there’s a 30-inch old steel main. It’s 100 years old,” he said.

GWP General Manager Scott Mellon responded to some of the concerns raised by public speakers. 

Though the master plan demonstrated that the city has the infrastructure capacity needed for future development it also highlighted the importance of replacing aging resources. If there is a development that requires new pumping capability or new pipes, the private developer would be required to pay for those upgrades. 

“One hundred percent of the costs are paid for by the developer. There are no subsidies for developers of any kind,” Mellon emphasized.

Transfers from the electric side of the utility have no bearing on water rates. GWP’s Assistant General Manager, Utility Finance & Risk Management, Adrine Isayan added that there has not been a transfer from the water side of the utility since 2011 and that the law defines electricity and water as enterprise funds which cannot be co-mingled.

In response to calls for seeking funds from the state and federal government, Mellon reiterated to the council that staff is “always looking for ways to get funding.”

“Albert” has lived in Glendale for 40 years and 10 months. He told the council that when he used the bill estimator, his bill almost doubled. He urged the council to oppose the proposed increase.

“I can’t pay you; my neighbors can’t pay you. I walked my street and no one knows about this,” another resident exclaimed, emotional and near tears.

Many shared these sentiments: We strongly oppose the proposed water rate increases of 53% starting on Jan. 1, 2027, which is less than two months from now. 

Let’s be clear: households cannot reasonably budget a rate increase of this magnitude with such little notice. Families are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, insurance, utilities and gas. Now the city is proposing to impose an additional financial burden practically overnight.

“Spread the increase over five years equally rather than such a dramatic upfront increase,” one Glendalian proposed.

“Maria” asked, “How did this all turn into such a critical situation when details of what was happening with our water crisis was not at the forefront of our city election in June? The forthcoming massive increase should have been the stand-out issue so we could hear from incumbent councilmembers [who] have had years to address this issue and act on it. The community would have wanted to hear the position of candidates about GWP burdening your constituents with a massive water rate hike.”

The speaker went on to suggest that the timing of the rate hike could be linked to the implementation of SB 79, state legislation aimed at increasing the building of housing along transit corridors.

A few spoke in support of the rate increases.

“We’re all being squeezed from every direction. Affordability is a very big issue in Glendale, in California, in the nation. We absolutely need this investment. We live in a desert. Part of this fund is going to go to exploring ways to capture more water locally. We need to do it,” one caller said.

“Anna” has lived in Glendale for 38 years and called in to “speak in support of the water rate increase and investment our Glendale water system needs.” 

“I live in Zone 3 and have family members who live in Zones 4 and 6 where rates are a little higher because of pumping costs. I think that’s fair. Residents in lower elevations should not have to subsidize the added cost of serving the few folks in higher elevation areas.

“I also understand why another increase is difficult for families. But delaying these repairs won’t make the costs go away. And it could actually mean higher costs. We have seen what can happen when maintenance is put off. We shouldn’t leave this problem to our kids to deal with in the future,” she said.

Most opposed the increases.

“These are not minor adjustments,” “Vahe” said, questioning the “apparent rush to approve” the drastic increases. 

“Why are we not allowing additional time for the residents to understand?

“Transparency is not something to fear. Public participation is not an inconvenience. And asking for additional time is not unreasonable,” Vahe concluded his comments.

The council heard public comments from more than 50 Glendalians, listened to GWP staff and deliberated into early Wednesday. 

Councilmember Elen Asatryan supports the overall investment in water infrastructure but raised concerns about letters the city received from lawyers representing Forest Lawn and emails from the Americana and the Glendale Galleria, both shopping malls claiming they were not notified about the pending rate hikes. She advocated to continue the discussion until next week’s council meeting.

“Previous councils didn’t want to be the bad guys and have left us in this position,” Asatryan added.

Mayor Ardy Kassakhian attempted to close the public hearing but could not secure the votes necessary to do so. 

Kassakhian followed up on several issues raised by speakers. Approximately 33% of Glendale’s water is groundwater but because of contamination, including trace amounts of Chromium-6, local groundwater needs to be mixed with imported water in order to be usable. Seven states, two countries and numerous independent tribes depend on water from the Colorado River. California’s allocation has been cut by 12%.

In accordance with Prop. 218, if a majority (that is, 50% plus one) of affected property owners submit valid written protests opposing the pending increase, the utility would be prohibited from implementing the rate change and would be required to redo the entire cost analysis.

The mayor was advised that the city has received 4,351 total Prop. 218 protests out of the 22,738 that would be needed to overturn the increases.

Councilmember Alek Bartrosouf expressed concern about delaying action, unconvinced that a delay would change the ultimate outcome, worried about sending misleading messages to the public.

A representative of Forest Lawn summed up its concerns, focused primarily on the increasing cost of recycled water and citing Forest Lawn’s long-term historical commitment to Glendale’s recycled water. Having been instrumental in the 1970s in the development of the Los Angeles-Glendale Water Reclamation Plant (co-owned by the cities of Los Angeles and Glendale to treat local wastewater), Forest Lawn became the city’s first major commercial customer for recycled water. In February 1989, the Glendale council approved an agreement to supply Forest Lawn with up to 200 million gallons of reclaimed water annually, with the city funding the construction of water mains and pumping stations up to the park’s boundary.

City Manager Roubik Golanian reminded the council that per Prop. 218, “Every customer – residential, commercial and industrial – received notification of the proposed rate increases. 

“Maybe they didn’t read it, but every account holder received a detailed notice.”