Breaking the silence: How strategic communication secured unanimous approval for a decade-overdue rate adjustment

The high cost of "holding the line"

For over a decade, the City of Downey, California, had not raised its water rates. Since the last adjustment in 2015, the region has experienced 45% inflation, driving up the cost of energy, chemicals, and labor. While keeping rates flat was politically popular in the short term, it created a looming financial cliff.

The tipping point arrived in the form of a public health mandate: The City needed to invest $127 million in new treatment infrastructure to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the local groundwater supply.

The City faced a communication nightmare. They needed to ask residents—who were accustomed to low rates—to absorb a significant adjustment to fund infrastructure they couldn't see. Without a sophisticated engagement strategy, the City risked a Proposition 218 rebellion and a failure to fund essential safety upgrades.

Moving from "cost" to "value"

Raftelis was retained not just to calculate the rates, but to craft the narrative that would make them acceptable. We shifted the conversation from "paying more bills" to "investing in water safety."

1. The campaign
We developed a comprehensive messaging framework centered on public health and local control. The core message was simple but powerful: Downey owns its water system. To keep it safe, we must treat it.

• The narrative: We decoupled the rate increase into two buckets: inflation (catching up on 10 years of costs) and safety (the specific surcharge for PFAS treatment). This transparency allowed residents to see exactly what they were buying: clean water, not administrative bloat.

2. Meeting the community where they are (digital and print)
Recognizing that modern constituents consume information differently, Raftelis deployed a multi-channel education campaign:

• Project microsite: We launched downeywaterrates.org, a centralized hub featuring interactive FAQs and transparent data.
• The explainer video: We produced a high-impact, sub-3-minute animation that simplified complex topics—like groundwater vs. imported water and PFAS treatment—into an accessible narrative for social media.
• Plain-language notices: Instead of a dense legal document, we redesigned the Proposition 218 notice as a clear, visually engaging reader that respected the intelligence of the voter.

3. High-touch community engagement
To prevent misinformation from spreading, we went on the offensive with direct engagement. Raftelis facilitated Community Open Houses, moving away from "lectures" to interactive stations. City staff and consultants stood side-by-side with residents, walking them through the specific impacts of their bills and answering questions face to face.

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Unanimous support for a hard decision

The true test of a rate study is not the math—it is the vote.

1. Unanimous adoption
Despite the magnitude of the rate adjustments, the City Council voted unanimously to adopt the new rates. The robust communication strategy provided elected officials with the political cover and confidence they needed to make a complex yet responsible decision.

2. Controlling the narrative
While the City received written protests (a standard part of the Proposition 218 process), the opposition never coalesced into a movement capable of derailing the project. By proactively answering the hard questions (Why now? Why so much?), Raftelis deprived opposition groups of confusion and anger usually required to defeat a rate case.

3. Securing the future
The approved rates did more than just balance the books; they fully funded critical capital reinvestment. By successfully communicating the value of the system, Downey secured its ability to provide safe, locally sourced water for future generations.

"Thanks for all your help with this huge effort… This was the smoothest 218 process that I have been through in my career." — Matt Baumgardner, P.E., Director of Public Works/City Engineer