Lodi Property Investor Claims City's Utility Costs Are Too High
LODI (CBS13) — Downtown Lodi business owners have one utility bill, but they say it's a big one.
"It's one big bill. The city has it all together. It's like a monopoly," said business owner Joe Regalado.
He says for him, the city's new water meters have him paying more than last year.
"Like $50-$80 extra. And that combined with the water intake is usually more than the electricity itself," he said.
Property investor Glenn Bauer says his tenants renting homes also complain about the high cost of utilities. He says landlords are forced to lower rent prices to keep tenants happy.
"The utility bills always come up. 'The utility bills are much more expensive here, so we can only afford this much,'" he said.
The rates keep outside investors from doing business in Lodi, he says. Bauer lives in the Bay Area most of the week, and he says he pays less in utilities there.
"The highest bill I've had is $110 a month. I'm only here three days out of the week, I turn on the heat, I get a bill for $500," he said.
PG&E only provides gas for the city of Lodi, but says its electric and gas rates are universal for all locations in the state. The city of Lodi provides the municipal electricity service, coming from Northern California Power Agency.
The city provided a chart showing its current commercial electricity rate is 16 cents per kilowatt hour—a few cents lower than PG&E's average between 16 and 21 cents on usage. Lodi says its average home utility bill is comparable to other area cities.
Business owner Tami Enos says she finds the city's utility costs affordable.
"It runs anywhere from $110 to $160 a month and we are 1600 square feet," she said.
A city spokesperson suggests new property owners may not be familiar with Lodi's hot summer temperatures and use more electricity than their homes in the Bay Area.
The city also offers payment assistance to low-income customers to help with electric bills.
