Motion Pushes to Lower Sewer Rates

Councilman Hal Bernson introduced a motion this week to the Los Angeles City Council to eliminate a 2-year-old sewer service franchise fee on Department of Water and Power bills.

If approved, DPW customers would see a reduction of less than $5 annually on their bills in the budget year beginning July 1. The fee has earned the city about $43 million since it was imposed.

Bernson said that while the annual savings for the average person is small, the franchise fee is a “hidden tax,” and therefore unfair.

“This is just part of the effort [to lower sewer rates],” he said. “I’ve got a whole series of these motions coming. I started with this one because I felt that this was an injustice.”

The councilman said he considers the franchise fee, which was imposed on users to help balance the city budget, a duplication of the regular sewer service fee.

Normally businesses, such as gas and cable companies, are charged franchise fees to use city-owned utility lines and property to provide a service to the businesses’ customers.

This franchise fee charges homeowners for being connected to the sewer system.

Unlike the sewer service fee, which is calculated based on water consumption, the franchise fee is nearly a flat rate for all.

Bernson said that to have residents pay both fees is unfair and could be considered illegal taxation.

Bernson said he could not recall if he’d voted to implement the fee two years ago, but that he would have surely voted against it if he’d realized what would happen.

Reducing sewer rates has been a hot topic in the past, especially for Valley residents.

Bernson said that other ways he will suggest to lower rates are to allow customers to ask the DWP to install a separate meter for sewer use and allow people to sign an affidavit designating a certain square footage of their property where water is to be used for irrigation, rather than bound for the sewer system.