Homeowners associations may find themselves paying much more to keep landscape in common areas looking lush if the Carlsbad Municipal Water District proceeds with its proposed rate increases later this month, the North County Times reported.
"We pay $55,000 a year, and that's going to go up to about $100,000 if that proposed increase sticks," said James Lang, president of the Sea Cliff Homeowners Association's board of directors. "Homeowners associations, I think, are being unduly penalized under this scheme."
Water district officials stress that it's not just homeowners associations that may feel the pinch in their pocketbooks. Anyone who uses lots of water to irrigate vast expanses of lawns and other water-thirsty plants can expect to pay significantly more, they told the paper last week.
The district, which serves about 85 percent of Carlsbad, will host a public hearing on its new rate proposal at 6 p.m. June 23 at City Hall, 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive.
