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Board clears move to collect Terrabella sewer fees on property tax roll to reduce delinquencies
Summary
After a public hearing with no protests, the board approved collecting Terrabella Sewer Maintenance District fees on the county property tax roll beginning fiscal year 2025–26; staff said the change will improve collections for about 520 accounts with previously 16% delinquency.
Tulare County supervisors approved moving wastewater service fees for the Terrabella Sewer Maintenance District onto the county property tax roll, a change county staff said will improve collections and reduce delinquencies.
Denise England of the Resource Management Agency told the board that Terrabella serves approximately 520 accounts and that, as of July 22, the district’s delinquency rate was about 16 percent, equal to roughly $23,000 annually. The board heard that fees previously were billed bimonthly and that placing the charge on the property tax roll is authorized by Health and Safety Code sections 5470–5474.10 and Government Code section 6063.
England said the county mailed notices to affected property owners on July 14 and published required notices on July 23 and July 30. The list of parcels to be placed on the tax roll must be provided to the county auditor by Aug. 11 to be effective for fiscal year 2025–26, England said.
No protest petitions were received before or during the hearing, the clerk reported, and the board therefore proceeded. Supervisor Dennis Townsend moved to adopt the collection method; the motion was seconded by Supervisor Amy Shucklin and passed unanimously.
Board members said collecting fees on the tax roll aligns county practice with how cities recover utility costs and will provide a clearer path for recovering unpaid balances if property owners do not pay.
