LA County Sanitation Districts outline proposed rate increases, set protest hearing May 27

Andrew Hall, head of financial management for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, told the Monrovia City Council on March 17 that the districts plan a five-year service-charge adjustment that would begin July 1, 2026. Hall said a typical Monrovia single-family household would likely see an increase in the range of $2.50 to $2.75 per month, part of a broader rate package intended to address rising operating costs and long-term capital needs.

Hall said operating costs in the districts have risen about 20% over five years while rates have risen only about 10% over the same period. He identified electricity and chemical costs as primary drivers of recent inflation — increases the district estimates at roughly 40%–60% over five years — and said many treatment facilities in the system are approaching or past their useful life and will need major upgrades.

The presentation noted several mitigation steps the districts are pursuing, including grant applications and low-interest loans, energy-efficiency projects to reduce chemical and power use, negotiated chemical purchases shared across the service area, and revenue from recycled water and renewable biogas. Hall also highlighted a low-water rebate program the districts administer to reduce sewer charges for properties that use less water than the district's assumptions.

Hall described the process as Proposition 218-adjacent but clarified the immediate procedure is a protest process rather than a traditional vote: a mailed notice was sent to property owners in January, the district is holding a series of virtual and in-person outreach meetings in April, and the final in-person public hearing for the service areas that include Monrovia is scheduled for May 27, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. He said residents who wish to protest should submit the required parcel number and owner information via the district's online form or by mail; protests filed before or at that hearing will be considered by the board.

Council members asked clarifying questions and had no substantive objections at the meeting; Hall invited residents to use the district website for details and to contact him with questions. The council took no formal action on the rate proposal; the process and decision rest with the sanitation district's board after the close of the protest period and public hearing.

The district emphasized that, even with the proposed adjustments, its combined regional rates would remain below comparable service areas for at least the next several years because other jurisdictions are also increasing rates.

The next steps: residents can review the mailed notice, visit lacd.org for the low-water rebate and protest form, attend virtual outreach sessions in April, and consider filing a formal protest before or at the May 27 hearing.