Council Is Dark, Public Hearing on Refuse Fee Coming Up

The City Council is dark on Monday, but some big ticket items are on the horizon.

On April 8, the City Council is scheduled to hold a public meeting to discuss a proposed increase to 250% of the current sewer use fee for single-family residences. The proposed hike would raise the average monthly sewer use fee from $4.55 to $11.37 and marks the first time the City has suggested an increase beyond the consumer price index since 2007.

The City-owned and operated sewer wastewater collection system, serving approximately 140,000 residents and commercial users, is currently funded by the Sewer Use Fee. This fee, part of customers’ utility bills, is used for the operations, ongoing maintenance, and needed capital improvements of the sewer collection system, which consists of 325 miles of sewer pipelines, three pump stations, and nearly 7,500 manholes.

To fully fund the sewer collection program, the City needs approximately $7.6 million every year. However, the City currently collects only $3.9 million on average each year.

The City’s sewer system serves approximately 140,000 residents and commercial users. The system consists of 325 miles of sewer pipelines, three pump stations, and nearly 7,500 manholes. The current sewer use fee is based on the consumers’ water use, which is considered to be proportional to the sewer system’s wastewater discharge. That methodology has been used since the establishment of the fee.

However, the long-term statewide drought conditions and water conservation efforts have impacted the amount of sewer use fees collected over the last ten years, and as a result, the City has not kept up with the cost of maintaining Pasadena’s aging infrastructure, according to a City staff report.

According to a service rate study performed in March. Based on that study, staff is recommending a fixed charge for both residential and commercial customers, plus a volumetric rate based on water consumption.

The fixed charges include 52 percent of collection-related costs that are fixed and do not vary with flow.

The proposed rate for single-family residences is a fixed monthly rate of $6.16 plus a volumetric rate of $0.65 per hundred cubic feet. Single-family residence water use is capped at 26 hundred cubic feet per month, which assumes that water usage above 26 hundred cubic feet is for irrigation and therefore does not go into the sewer collection system.

But the utility cost index has outpaced general inflation increases since 2020 by almost double and continues to rise. The cost of maintaining the sewer collection system has increased significantly.

On April 28, the City Council will begin its budget hearings process.