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Tulare County board approves Terra Bella sewer rate increase to cover operations and debt
Summary
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors approved a multi-year adjustment to wastewater service fees for the Terra Bella Sewer Maintenance District, citing decades of deferred rate increases, recent ARPA-funded repairs and the need to cover operating costs and debt service.
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors on July 15 adopted new wastewater service fees for the Terra Bella Sewer Maintenance District, approving a plan that raises residential charges this year and phases additional increases over the next five years to fully fund operations, debt service and future capital work.
The change is intended to correct rates that have not been increased since 1996 and to cover a structural shortfall in the district’s finances. County Resource Management Agency (RMA) Manager Denise England told the board the system serves about 520 accounts, currently operates at a deficit, and requires steady revenue to maintain recently completed upgrades and to fund future repairs and capital projects.
The board voted to adopt Option A, which moves the single-family monthly charge from $21 to $27 effective Aug. 1, 2025, then applies additional annual adjustments in future fiscal years; the RMA projected a fully funded position and modest reserves by fiscal year 2030 under the plan. England said the county invested $750,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds this year to clean ponds, replace aerators and complete other plant and collection-system work; she emphasized the ARPA funds are a grant and not a loan the community must repay.
The RMA’s five-year study assumes roughly $190,000 in annual operating costs, about $55,000 in annual debt service and modest inflation assumptions (3 percent year-over-year; higher utility escalation for electricity). Beginning in fiscal year 2028 the district will begin using rate revenues to fund recurring capital needs estimated at about $140,000 annually (including routine maintenance, hydro-flushing and equipment replacement), the presentation said.
RMA staff also briefed the board on legal constraints under Proposition 218, which limits the procedural approach and maximum phased period for property-related fees, and noted the county mailed notices and held the required public meeting. The clerk reported that no affected parcels submitted written protests, so the board could legally impose the adjustments.
Supervisor Dennis Townsend said the planning and long-range approach represented progress for the district and would help avoid future reliance on the county general fund. After a motion by Townsend and a second by Supervisor Amy Shucklian, the board approved the rate schedule by a 4-0 vote with Supervisor Larry McCarrie absent. County staff said the board will consider placing the fees on the property tax roll at an upcoming Aug. 5 item to streamline collection.
The adopted schedule keeps Terra Bella on the low end compared with several other county-run sewer systems even after the increases, RMA staff said; RMA also noted certain accounts (school district, housing authority, fire yard) will continue to be billed annually rather than through the tax roll.
The board closed the public hearing after receiving no in-person or remote testimony and after the clerk confirmed no majority protest. The rate study and staff presentation, the RMA said, are intended to stabilize the district’s finances and preserve the ARPA-funded improvements.
