Beverly Hills Director of Public Works Shana Epstein has been meeting with community groups about proposed water rate increases in the leadup to a City Council hearing on Nov. 7.

Epstein, in her first year as director of the Public Works Department, led a town hall on Oct. 2 at City Hall to brief residents about the potential changes to their water bills.

Under the proposed increase, and based on average water usage, a single-family residential customer will pay an additional $5.50 to $6.50 on each bi-monthly bill over the next five years, according to the Public Works Department. The increase would amount to a $29.52 increase on each bi-monthly bill at the end of the five-year period.

“We want to really take small bites of the apple to increase in smaller increments so that we can use some of our reserves and at the end of the five years we’ll be back on our reserve target,” said Epstein, describing why the city is pursuing a five-year plan instead of one that implements the rates all at once.

The drought left the city with less revenue from water sales, according to the Public Works Department, while some expenses have increased. There are also increased costs involved with the city’s effort to expand its water production by drilling additional wells to supplement water purchased from the Metropolitan Water District.

The City Council will also consider a pass-through charge in anticipation of potential increases to wholesale water charges to purchases from the Metropolitan Water District, which supplies most of the city’s water. The increase would be passed to residents, with advance notice.

“None of us can really predict everything that’s going to happen in the next five years,” Epstein said.

Other information, including a letter to residents, has been informing the community about the proposed increase.

“Your money is directly reinvested into the Water Enterprise to pay for the water that you use every day for drinking, bathing, cooking and outdoor watering,” the letter read. “Your money also funds less visible expenses such as long-term debt payments, planning and environmental compliance. Asking our customers to pay more is never easy, but these incremental increases will assist in investing and reinvesting in critical infrastructure.”

During the November hearing, the City Council will hear objections to the increases. If a majority of the city’s water customers each submit a written objection to the increases, then council cannot adopt them, according to the Public Works Department.

If approved by council, rate increases will take effect on Jan. 1 each year from 2018 to 2022. Stormwater, solid waste and wastewater rates will not increase, but they might be subject to future increases.

To calculate precise increases based on type of residence, residents can visit beverlyhills.org/waterrates.