We, the undersigned Whittier taxpayers, property owners, and Public Works Department customers hereby request that the City of Whittier City Council modify its “. . . PROPOSED CHANGES TO SEWER, WATER, & SOLID WASTE FEES” as stated in the “PUBLIC NOTICE” (blue colored circular) sent to customers via “Presorted STANDARD U.S. Postage PAID Bell, CA Permit #75” during the month of April 2013 and slated to go into beginning on 1 August 2013. WE ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING: • “CHANGES TO SEWER, WATER, & SOLID WASTE FEES (are occasionally needed in order to) cover operating and capital expenses required to maintain sewer, water, and solid waste services”. WE VEHEMENTLY OBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING: • The proposed 121% increase effective 1 August 2014 in “Sewer – Proposed Annual Rate per billing unit . . . of water” • The proposed 394% increase effective 1 August 2014 in “Water - Fixed Fee Component”. • The proposed 48% increase effective 1 August 2014 in “Solid Waste Service Fees” • The profoundly obscure and misleading nature of the “City of Whittier . . . PUBLIC NOTICE” (blue colored circular) which FAILS to state the percentage increase in either the “Sewer – Proposed Annual Rate” (121%) or the “Water - Fixed Fee Component” (394%) while instead highlighting that “A resident using a single 64 gallon garbage container will see a maximum combined monthly increase of . . . (4%) in 2014-15.” (which really means an annual increase of 4% per month x 12 months equals a 48% per year increase). WE ADAMENTLY REQUEST THE FOLOWING: • That all proposed “changes to fees for sewer, water, and solid waste services in the City’s service areas for Fiscal Years 2013-14 and 2014-15” as outlined in the “PUBLIC NOTICE” (blue colored circular) be immediately abandoned. • That funds which may be needed for ”operating and capital expenses required to maintain sewer, water, and solid waste services” be assessed in the future with radically more input from those of us who provide the same funding. • That any increase in any city fee, tax assessment or other financial consideration of more than 3% per year be approved by a majority of property owners as listed in the County Tax Assessors database. • That from this day forward, all “SEWER, WASTE & SOLID WASTE FEES” be deposited upon receipt into three (3) segregated accounts, and be used exclusively to provide for the said designated services. To be clear, this means that: o ALL fees collected for “SEWER” services be used exclusively to service and maintain the “SEWER” system. o ALL fees collected for “WATER” services be used exclusively to service and maintain the “WATER” system. o ALL fees collected for “SOLID WASTE” services be used exclusively to service and maintain the “SOLID WASTE” system o That annually, three (3) unique and independently audited reports be created which document the balances in each of the afore mentioned segregated accounts (“SEWER, WATER, SOLID WASTE”) together with a detailed accounting of the annual expenditures for each of the same accounts. • And that the same reports be made readily available to the affected public through a notice sent to the record owner of each identified City of Whittier property owner listed in the County Tax Assessors database • And, that the same be accomplished at least three (3) months prior to any approved or proposed fee increase. WE FURTHER REQUEST THE FOLOWING: • That consideration be given, through a vote of property owners as listed in the County Tax Assessors database, as to whether street sweeping service is an appropriate and desired expenditure of our tax dollars and more specifically: o That street sweeping activity should possibly be limited to commercial streets only and eliminated altogether on residential streets o That if street sweeping activity is deemed an appropriate expenditure of our tax dollars then all parking fines associated with cars illegally parked for street sweeping purposes be dedicated and deposited into the “SOLID WASTE” segregated account (this, since “SOLID WASTE” includes street sweeping services).