City of La Verne officials outline proposed water and sewer rate increases starting Jan. 1, 2026

Matt Whittern, a consultant with Raftelis, opened a City of La Verne webinar outlining proposed water and sewer rate increases and the rationale behind them. "Tonight, we'll walk through La Verne's proposed water and sewer rates, why these changes are necessary, and how they're determined," Whittern said.

The study projects that, after the first phase of increases on Jan. 1, 2026, combined household bills will rise for most customers. Whittern presented sample combined water-and-sewer bills for three usage levels and said typical 2025 combined bills of roughly $112 to $186 would increase to about $139 to $213 under the proposed 2026 rates, depending on usage and pressure zone.

The proposed schedule would phase in increases beginning Jan. 1, 2026, with further annual adjustments through 2029 if adopted. Whittern said the City and consultant view the increases as necessary to cover rising operating costs and planned capital work: "This will ensure that the city can cover rising costs, invest in infrastructure, and continue delivering safe, reliable service to every household." He added that the water utility has not had a rate adjustment since 2018 and has been drawing on reserves to cover operating costs.

Deputy Public Works Director Joe Viera described the capital projects the rate revenues would help fund. Key water projects include pipeline rehabilitation and replacement, an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) conversion to improve leak detection and metering accuracy, upgrades to the water treatment plant to meet new regulations and increase capacity, and well repairs to improve pressure and quality. On the sewer side, Viera said the plan includes sewer relining, manhole rehabilitation (some manholes were identified as over 100 years old), targeted pipeline replacements, and portable backup generators to maintain critical facilities during outages.

Whittern explained how the City's enterprise funds work: water and sewer utilities are not supported by the general fund or taxes, and rate revenues must be used for utility operations and capital improvements. He also walked through a budget breakdown showing the largest single expense is purchased water; the study estimates roughly $13.9 million to operate the water system in 2026, rising above $15.0 million in 2027, and about $1.8 million for sewer operations in 2026 with a projected rise to more than $1.9 million in 2027.

The consultant compared La Verne's fixed bimonthly meter charge to neighboring districts and noted La Verne is at the lower end of that regional comparison; even with the first phase of increases, Whittern said La Verne's fixed charge would remain near the bottom relative to nearby agencies that are also increasing rates.

Because La Verne purchases a substantial share of its water, Whittern said higher costs at the Metropolitan Water District were a major driver: "Most significantly, the cost of treated water the City purchases from the Metropolitan Water District has gone up by more than 50% in the same period." The presentation also highlighted inflation and operating-cost pressures as contributors to the need for rate adjustments.

Whittern reviewed the public process and the formal rules under Proposition 218 for changing property-related fees. He said notices were mailed in September after council authorization and that the public hearing on the proposed rates is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. He explained two separate formal avenues to oppose rates: filing an "objection" (which argues legal noncompliance with Proposition 218 and must be received by the city clerk by 4 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2025, to preserve the right to later challenge in court) and submitting a signed written "protest" (a statement of opposition that must include the property owner or account holder's name, property address and signature and must be received by the city clerk before the close of the public hearing on Nov. 3; oral comments at the hearing do not count as protests). Whittern said that if more than half of affected property owners file valid protests, the council cannot adopt the rates.

The consultant and staff pointed residents to resources to help manage bills and reduce water use, including rebate programs, the City's bill calculator at laverneca.gov/calculator and partnerships such as SoCal Water Smart. Whittern noted drought surcharges would only apply if the city council declares a water shortage emergency.

The webinar concluded with staff inviting participants to the final in-person workshop on Saturday at 10 a.m. in the council chambers and reminding the public of the hearing and protest/objection deadlines.

Next steps: the City will accept written objections and protests per the timelines outlined; the City Council will consider adoption at the Nov. 3 public hearing, and if adopted the new rates would take effect Jan. 1, 2026, with annual adjustments thereafter through 2029.