STOP THE SEWER TAX HIKE IN BAKERSFIELD
❌ Stop the Sewer Tax Hike in Bakersfield
The City of Bakersfield is proposing to nearly quadruple your sewer bill in 2025. If you don’t protest, it will pass automatically.
🚨 What’s Being Proposed
Bakersfield is planning a major sewer rate hike for every household and business starting July 1, 2025. This is not a gradual increase — it's a massive jump all at once.
A copy of the notice sent to Bakersfield residents can be found here.
📈 Residential Rate Increase:
That’s more than $700 extra per year for most Bakersfield homeowners — and even higher for commercial properties.
📊 How Does Bakersfield Compare to other central valley cities?
Fresno: $309
Merced: $348
Modesto: $492
Stockton: $579
Bakersfield (Proposed): $950.00
Bakersfield’s proposed rate would make it one of the most expensive sewer systems in the Central Valley — with no phased approach and no resident vote.
📝 Your Protest Is the Only Way to Stop This
To stop the rate hike, a majority of property owners must submit written protests. Without it, the increase passes automatically — even if no one supports it.
Petitions, calls, or emails won’t count
You must mail or deliver a signed protest letter
Only one protest per property is allowed
✍️ How to Submit a Protest
Fill out protest form completely (name, address, parcel number, signature)
Press submit
We will take care of the rest including printing and delivering the form for you to the City Clerk.
If you wish to send a letter yourself, you can use this template and mail or deliver the letter.
💼 What About Businesses?
Commercial properties will also see dramatic increases. All commercial categories will jump from $239/year to $950/year, plus surcharge increases of 200–400% per HCF of wastewater.
Example:
Commercial High Strength surcharge: from $3.35 per HCF to $13.32 — a 298% increase.
📣 Spread the Word
Share this information with friends, neighbors, and small business owners. Most people haven’t heard about this — but they will feel it when their bills quadruple.
✅ Share this site
✅ Print & deliver flyers
✅ Help collect protest forms
✅ Speak up in your community
