At the Annual Meeting on Saturday, the Board pushed through the proposal to pay for ongoing well costs through a fixed montly charge for service. Outside of allowing shareholders with no water service or many unused shares to avoid paying their fair portion of the well costs, this also increases the monthly charge for water service for Sheep Creek Water Company customers. $77 a month before you use a drop of water.

As this article makes clear, more and more utility companies are moving to fixed charges because they always get that money, whether or not the customer conserves. Fixed charges are an anti-conservation measure, and shareholders of Sheep Creek should push for the company to change this situation. There will always be an excuse tomorrow to keep the fixed charge around.

Anger builds over sweeping change in the way most Californians will pay for electricity

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-05-07/california-utilities-seek-higher-fixed-monthly-fee

“There is a trend nationwide of utilities trying to move more of the payments they extract from ratepayers into fixed fees because they get that money no matter what,” said Cook. “This is easy money.”