Fontana Sewer Fee Proposal Still Lacks Posted Final Action
Fontana CA – A proposed sewer collection-rate schedule remains unconfirmed in city records, with final council action and billing effects still not posted.
Fontana’s proposed sewer-rate increase was scheduled for City Council consideration, but the city’s online records still do not show a posted final action as of July 26, 2026.
The council held the required public hearing on June 23 and placed Ordinance No. 1993 on the July 14 agenda for a second reading. The ordinance would authorize new or increased sewer service fees through a separate rate resolution. The July 14 meeting page lists the sewer item, but it also says the minutes remain in draft form and that actions taken on legislation and their results are not available.
What the city proposed
The city’s Proposition 218 notice lists a regular residential city collection charge of $12.63 per month currently and $14.55 beginning July 1, 2026, if the proposed adjustment is adopted. That would be a $1.92 monthly increase in the city collection component.
The notice also lists additional proposed city collection charges of $16.01 in 2027, $17.61 in 2028, $19.37 in 2029 and $21.31 in 2030. The schedule is described as a five-year plan, with adjustments beginning July 1, 2026, and continuing each July 1 through 2030.
Those figures apply to the city’s sewer collection charge, not necessarily the full amount on every customer’s bill. The city says the collection charge supports operation and maintenance of sewer lines and the conveyance system that moves wastewater toward treatment facilities.
Why Fontana says rates need to rise
A staff report based on a Raftelis financial study says existing rates would not sustain the Sewer Fund over the study period. The city cited higher operating costs, inflation, aging infrastructure, reserve needs and planned capital improvements.
Under a status-quo financial plan, the study found that the city would miss its reserve target each year and fully deplete available reserves by fiscal year 2028. The proposed increases are intended to support operations, maintain reserves and fund reinvestment in the wastewater collection system.
Why bills may differ
Fontana’s collection charge is separate from wastewater treatment charges assessed by the Inland Empire Utilities Agency or the City of Rialto, depending on the customer’s service arrangement. Those treatment charges can change independently and may be passed through on the regular sewer bill.
The city’s notice also contains different rate classes, including apartments, commercial and industrial customers, customers outside the city and Rialto-served accounts. That means residents should not assume every Fontana customer will see the same total bill.
What residents should check next
The clearest documented proposed change for a regular residential customer is the $1.92 increase in the city collection line. The currently posted records do not support saying that the increase was finally adopted or that every resident’s bill has already changed.
Residents should watch for finalized July 14 minutes, a posted action result, or a final ordinance and rate resolution. They should also compare the city collection line and the separate treatment line on their next bill rather than relying only on the total.
One additional detail remains unresolved in the records: the Proposition 218 notice lists the current regular residential collection charge as $12.63, while the June 23 staff report describes the current charge as $12.68 per equivalent dwelling unit. Until the city publishes a final billing or rate record, that difference should not be treated as settled.
Sources
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