Fontana sewer proposal would raise city charge $1.92 in year one

Fontana‘s sewer-rate proposal went before the City Council on June 23, with a five-year schedule that would begin July 1 if the package is adopted. The city’s materials say a typical residential customer would see about a $1.92 monthly increase on the city collection charge in the first year.

Why staff says the increase is needed

The staff report says current sewer rates no longer fully cover operating and capital needs. It points to inflation, aging infrastructure, ongoing maintenance and a reserve target equal to 60 days of operating and maintenance spending. Under the city’s status quo financial plan, the sewer fund would miss that reserve target through the study period and could run through reserves by fiscal 2028.

What changes and what does not

This proposal covers Fontana’s sewer collection charge, not a broad utility-bill increase or a tax. The hearing notice says the plan would phase in annual adjustments each July 1 through 2030 if approved. Treatment charges from IEUA and the City of Rialto are separate, and pretreatment fees would still apply to industrial and commercial customers.

For households, the first-year increase is modest but recurring. For landlords, commercial property owners and small businesses, sewer service is a fixed operating cost, so the phase-in matters even if the monthly steps are small. The city’s argument is that moving now may avoid a larger correction later.

Sources

• Fontana City Council legislation details — Sewer rate adjustment item 26-1101
• City of Fontana Prop. 218 public hearing notice for sewer rate adjustments