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Avalon council adopts sewer, saltwater and solid-waste fee increases; solid-waste rise trimmed by longer financing
Summary
After a public hearing and extensive public comment, the Avalon City Council approved placing sewer and saltwater increases of 9.5% and a reduced solid-waste increase of 2% on the county tax roll, citing capital needs and a multi-decade financing option for the landfill wall.
The Avalon City Council voted 4–1 on June 16 to adopt rate increases for sewer and saltwater services and to place revised solid-waste service charges on the Los Angeles County property-tax roll.
Finance Director Matt Baker said spreading financing for the landfill wall over 20 years reduces the proposed solid-waste increase from 4.5% to 2%, producing lower near-term impacts for residents. "It would be a $12 a month increase, for a typical residential customer," Baker said. Public commenters, including a longtime local landlord, urged the council to find alternatives and warned that cumulative increases could raise rents and strain middle-income housing; one resident told the council, "I urge you to vote no on increasing these fees."
Council members debated tradeoffs between using general-fund reserves and sustaining capital investments. Baker said capital investments and prevailing-wage contract costs drive the 9.5% proposals for sewer and saltwater, and that prior redevelopment revenues that once funded projects are no longer available. Council ultimately adopted four resolutions to place the assessments on the property-tax roll, directing the city clerk to request inclusion on the fiscal-year 2026–27 tax rolls.
