Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Compton holds sewer‑charge hearing; city engineer says rates unchanged, Pearl Avenue rehab planned
Summary
The city presented the FY 2026–27 sewer service charges with no rate increase and estimated revenue of about $925,575; staff said sewer master plan projects and a $6 million Pearl/Chester sewer rehabilitation are slated for next fiscal year, and residents urged action on recurring brown water, illegal dumping and localized manhole work.
City engineer Jack Gao told the Compton City Council on Tuesday that the city is not proposing an increase to the sewer service charge for fiscal year 2026–27 and that the charges are property‑related service fees collected through the county tax roll.
“The key takeaway is that there’s no increase in sewer service charge rates for fiscal year 2026, 2027,” Gao said, adding the program supports maintenance, repairs, emergency responses and debt service. He estimated total revenue at about $925,575 and described the city’s sewer master plan (adopted in 2025) that underpins a five‑year capital improvement program.
Residents used the public hearing to press for more accountability and broader project distribution. Concerns raised included repeated repairs on the same streets, foul odors and evidence of illegal dumping of cooking oil and grease from food vendors and restaurants. One resident asked whether the manhole and sewer work being done on Long Beach Boulevard and Wilmington Avenue were part of the current program.
Gao said the public‑works engineering department will do a detailed assessment of sewers near fast-food restaurants and confirmed that the city sequences sewer and storm‑drain replacements before repaving; staff cited completed projects (e.g., Wilmington Avenue sewer replacement completed in 2016) and noted the new Pearl Avenue and Chester Avenue sewer rehabilitation/replacement project, planned at $6,000,000 for the next fiscal year.
Councilmembers asked follow-up questions about infrastructure condition and bond repayment. Gao said most of the city’s sewer pipes date from the 1950s–1960s and that the 2009 sewer bond (approximately $18.7 million) supports upgrades through 2040. When asked about system mileage, Gao said he would report back with the total mileage of sewer lines in Compton.
The council closed the public hearing after receiving testimony and said it may approve the engineer’s report and order levy and collection of charges following consideration of any written protests.
What’s next: Staff will supply additional details requested by council (including total system mileage and more detailed project schedules); the Pearl/Chester rehabilitation is listed as a next‑fiscal‑year capital project.
