Hi-Desert Water District amends FY27 water and sewer resolutions for tax roll collection

Hi-Desert Water District amends FY27 water and sewer resolutions for tax roll collectionThe California utility held a special meeting to explicitly incorporate San Bernardino County’s administrative fees into its annual water standby and sewer service charge authorizations.

The Board approved amended resolutions to place over $4.1 million in combined water and sewer charges on the county property tax roll.

San Bernardino County requested the revisions to clarify that the authorized totals include all county administrative and processing fees.

No changes were made to the underlying water standby rates or the $66.62 per EDU monthly sewer service fee.

The Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors convened a special meeting on August 4, 2026, to amend resolutions placing its fiscal year 2026-2027 water standby and sewer service charges on the San Bernardino County property tax roll. Chief Financial Officer Tanya Gruwell informed the board that the county had requested nearly all local agencies to restate their resolutions. The revised language explicitly clarifies that the authorized direct charges include all applicable county administrative and processing fees before they are levied on the tax roll. The amended resolutions authorize the collection of estimated direct charges totaling $3,938,073.48 for sewer services. Additionally, the district will collect $164,529.72 in water standby and availability charges, alongside $78,737.81 in delinquent water charges. Gruwell confirmed to the board that the amendments involved no substantive changes to the customer rates previously approved at a July 15 public hearing. The water standby charge remains $20 for the first 2.5 acres of unimproved land located within 2,640 feet of a district pipeline, while the monthly sewer service fee stands at $66.62 per equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) for the current fiscal year. Both amended resolutions passed unanimously among the attending directors.