LA County Sanitation District briefs Sierra Madre on proposed 5‑year property‑tax charge increase
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
LA County Sanitation District staff told the Sierra Madre City Council a District 15 charge will increase by $2.75 per month each year for five years (on the property tax bill) to cover operations and planned infrastructure and treatment upgrades; a public hearing is set for May 27 in Whittier.
Representatives of the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts briefed the Sierra Madre City Council on Feb. 10 about a proposed rate increase that will appear as a property‑tax line item under a Proposition 218 notice to property owners.
"For the city of Sierra Madre, which is in District 15, the rate will go up by $2.75 a month each year for 5 years," Sanitation Districts representative Matt Eaton told the Council, adding that the charge will appear as a separate line on property tax bills. Eaton said the agency needs to raise rates because operating costs rose faster than prior rate increases (operating costs up ~20% while rates had increased about 10% over five years) and energy and chemical costs have been major drivers.
Eaton described planned infrastructure projects to reduce sewer overflows and to expand treatment and reuse capacity, including a potential large‑scale recycled‑water project at the Carson facility that could produce drought‑resilient, reusable water for the region and possibly provide up to ~150 million gallons per day in one build‑out scenario. He said the Sanitation Districts also offer a low‑water rebate program that can reduce the charge for households with lower wastewater generation.
The agency pointed Sierra Madre residents to lacsd.org/rates for parcel‑specific information, copies of Proposition 218 notices, instructions for protests and public comment, and to a May 27, 2026 public hearing at the District headquarters in Whittier.
Council members asked about notice access and how parcels impacted by the Eaton fire were handled; Eaton said parcels with no structure reported on the assessor’s database are not being charged until a structure is rebuilt and the parcel appears active on assessor records. City and agency staff encouraged residents who did not receive a mailed notice to use the online "find your parcel" tools and to contact District customer service for help.
The presentation did not propose final city action; it was an informational briefing intended to help residents and the Council understand the charge, the protest mechanism under Proposition 218, and the District’s reasoning for the increase.