Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys Face Sewer Fee Hike : Special districts: The rise, ranging from $5 to $8 annually, will be added to homeowners’ property tax bills to make up for cuts in funding.

Homeowners in the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys face sewer fee increases ranging from $5 to $8 a year to make up for cuts in property tax funding to sanitation and other special districts throughout the state.

The fee increases, which will be added to property tax bills, are among a host of new charges expected to be produced by California’s 1992-93 budget, which reduces state funding to districts that provide sewer, water and other services.

“Three hundred and seventy-five million dollars is being taken from the special districts to help make up the state deficit,” said Catherine Smith, deputy director of the California Special Districts Assn. “The thinking is that most districts can make up the difference with increased fees.”

The cuts to special districts come after two months of wrangling between the Legislature and Gov. Pete Wilson over how to fill a $10.7-billion gap between California’s income and expenses for the fiscal year that started July 1. Part of the final budget agreement was to reduce property tax funds to the special districts--which generally rely on a mix of taxes and fees to pay for operations--and use the savings to pay for other expenses such as education.

Sanitation districts that provide sewer service have little choice but to increase fees, since they cannot reduce service, said Joe Haworth, spokesman for the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County.

“Monies lost in taxes require us to raise fees to pay for chemicals, electricity and employees,” Haworth said. “These are real basic commodities.”

Rates for Santa Clarita Valley residents in Saugus are expected to go up from $93 to $99, while rates for other valley residents will increase from $93 to $101, said Jim Gratteau, a financial manager with the county sanitation districts.

A public hearing on the proposed rate hikes is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sept. 21 at Santa Clarita City Hall.

Residents of Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, meanwhile, can expect a rate increase from $61 to $66 a year. Rates for Palmdale residents are expected to increase from $63 to $70 a year.

A public hearing on rates for Antelope Valley residents is scheduled for Sept. 23 at the county sanitation districts offices in Whittier, Gratteau said.

Residents of the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys will be spared increases in their water bills because they are served by agencies that were exempted from state cuts.

The Castaic Lake Water Agency, which provides water for the Santa Clarita Valley, and the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency will not lose state funds because they are spread over more than one county, agency officials said.

Legislators exempted those agencies because it would be difficult to distribute cuts and subsequent fee increases among residents in more than one county, officials said. All hospital districts are also exempt.

Developers in the Santa Clarita Valley who paid water connection fees after July 1 may be eligible for a rebate, Castaic Lake Water Agency General Manager Robert Sagehorn said. The fees are assessed on new buildings that are hooked up to the local water system.

“In anticipation of a potential loss we increased our connection fees 120%, effective July 1,” Sagehorn said.

The water agency’s board is scheduled to meet over a rollback of the fee hike this week, Sagehorn said.

Mike Garrick, director of finance and administration for the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, said the state cuts will have only a negligible effect.

Times staff writer Aaron Curtiss contributed to this story.