FOR: City Council and Rialto Utility Authority Meeting June 25, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: G. Michael Milhiser, Interim City Manager
FROM: Tanya Williams, Assistant City Manager
...Title
Request City Council/Rialto Utility Authority Board to Set a Public Hearing for July 23, 2024, to Receive Public Comment Related to the Placement of Sewer Service Charges on the County Property Tax Roll for Delinquent Accounts.
...Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council/Rialto Utility Authority Board set a Public Hearing for July 23, 2024, to receive public comment related to the placement of charges on the County Property Tax Roll for delinquent sewer payments.
BACKGROUND
The City of Rialto (City) / Rialto Utility Authority (RUA) provides sewer services throughout the entire City and areas of Bloomington. Where RUA provides water service, both water and sewer services are billed together. For delinquent accounts, the RUA can impose penalties and shut off water services to promote payment, per Rialto Municipal Code Section 12.08. However, there are areas of the City where either the West Valley Water District or the Fontana Water Company provides water services and the RUA only bills for sewer service. The sewer-only accounts have high delinquency rates, as the RUA cannot disconnect services for lack of payment.
To collect sewer-only accounts more effectively, the Rialto Municipal Code Section 12.08.201 was amended to allow for placement of delinquent charges on property tax bills through the County Tax Collector's Office. The Ordinance approved on June 19, 2007, provides a method for collecting delinquent accounts like the lien placement process used for solid waste delinquent accounts.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
During the spring of each year, Staff develops a list of properties to be levied for delinquent sewer fees. Once the list of properties to be levied has been completed, the list will be compared with th...
Click here for full text