LA County proposes sewer service charge increase for Hawaiian Gardens; council presses for maintenance details

Los Angeles County Public Works told the Hawaiian Gardens City Council on April 9 that it plans to raise sewer service charges for properties in the county'operated Consolidated Maintenance District to avoid running out of reserve funds and to sustain preventive maintenance.

Andrew Ngumba, division chief for sewer maintenance at Los Angeles County Public Works, outlined the proposal, saying the district has not raised rates since 2014 and now faces rising labor, materials and construction costs. Ngumba said the county'wide district collects about $42 million annually and spends roughly 90% of that on preventive maintenance, condition assessment and rehabilitation. "We are proposing increasing the current $50 per year per sewage unit sewer service charge by $14 per year for three consecutive years and then two years by the rate of inflation," Ngumba said, adding that the change would amount to about a $45 increase after five years for a typical single-family residence.

The proposal affects all member cities in the Consolidated Maintenance District and unincorporated areas; Hawaiian Gardens contains roughly 2,400 parcels and…