For City Council Meeting and Rialto Utility Authority [May 28, 2019]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Sean Grayson, Interim City Administrator
FROM: Thomas J. Crowley, P.E., Utilities Manager
Title
Request City Council to Set a Public Hearing for June 11, 2019 to Receive Public Comment Related to the Placement of Sewer Service Charges on the County Property Tax Roll for Delinquent Accounts.
Body
The City of Rialto provides sewer services throughout the entire City and areas of Bloomington. Where the City provides water service, both water and sewer services are billed together. For delinquent accounts, the City is able to 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 City only bills for sewer service. The sewer-only accounts have high delinquency rates, as the City cannot disconnect services for lack of payment.
In order to more effectively collect sewer-only accounts, 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 similar to the lien placement process used for solid waste delinquent accounts.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
To meet the County submittal deadline of August 10, 2019, the City must take the following steps:
* Send notification letters to the delinquent accounts on the list of properties alerting them of the City's plan to place the delinquent charges on the property tax roll and giving them one last opportunity to pay. This was done on May 14, 2019. The last date for a customer to pay their delinquent sewer bill before placement on the tax rolls is June 28, 2019. A copy of the letter is included as Attachment 1.
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