The San Juan Citizens Alliance is urging the city of Durango reconsider how it structures its sustainability fees, which appear on utility bills and help fund the city’s Sustainability Division.
SJCA Community Climate Manager Emelie Frojen has proposed changing the fee from a flat rate of $2.30 per bill to a 1.5% fee based on a customer’s total bill.
The flat $2.30 fee generates about $215,000 annually for the city’s sustainability efforts. While Frojen said the fee was “a good start” when implemented, she believes it now falls short.
She said the current structure neither incentivizes water users to reduce consumption nor does it generate enough revenue to support sustainability measures necessary to meet the city’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050.
The city committed to those goals in 2016. But between then and 2022, the city shaved off just 10% ‒ 269,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent ‒ according to Marty Pool, city sustainability manager, who spoke with The Durango Herald in September.
Frojen said switching to a 1.5% fee would incentivize more users to reduce their water consumption and generate a 30% increase in sustainability department funding ‒ an additional $23,250 per month. Such a rate structure would also be more equitable, charging the largest users with higher fees and lowering average users’ costs.
The median utility bill in Durango is $110, she said; under the proposed rate, the fee would drop from $2.30 to $1.65 on that bill.
“Durango’s not on track to meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals and needs to do more to reach the 50% reduction by 2030,” Frojen said. “… We are asking you all to follow through with Durango’s commitment to reduce greenhouse (gases).”
Frojen said in an interview that both the sustainability fee and city’s water rates should be reviewed. The sustainability fee funds environmental initiatives, while water rates help pay for the city’s water treatment facility, piping and maintenance.
Sustainability fees are low-hanging fruit for the San Juan Citizens Alliance and community members to target, she said.
“This fee seems like the easiest step without increasing average household bills and helping people feel like they have more control, because it’s expensive to live right now,” she said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
