RIVERSIDE (CNS) – The Board of Supervisors is slated on Tuesday, June 28, to
consider whether to impose special assessments totaling $2.65 million on
thousands of Riverside County residents’ property tax bills to collect unpaid
trash collection debts.

According to the Department of Environmental Health, 5,323 residents
in unincorporated communities owe the county’s four waste haulers for rubbish
pickup and disposal services in 2021.

Amounts in arrears range from about $125 to $6,300 per customer,
according to the proposed special assessment roll.
Environmental Health Director Jeff Johnson requested the public
hearing Tuesday for the board to approve the assessments, which would be tacked
onto delinquent payers’ property tax obligations.

“The regular removal of solid waste from residential properties is a
basic sanitation practice that protects both the environment and the public,”
Johnson said. “The mandatory collection of solid waste and the payment for the
collection is critical.”

The hearing will provide a platform for ratepayers to argue before the
board their cases against assessments, offering specifics about mitigating
circumstances, including how their finances have been impacted in the last year
to the extent that they have not been able to meet some obligations.

In the past, petitioners have presented appeals to the board based on
the fact that they oversee their own waste disposal and shouldn’t be on the
hook for the waste haulers’ costs. Sometimes, properties are also under lease,
and the owners aren’t responsible for paying trash disposal charges.

If the supervisors authorize the special assessments, an additional
$77.-per-parcel charge would be applied to delinquent bills to cover the cost
of public noticing and county staff time.

According to officials, residents can avoid the supplemental charge by
paying their bills in full on or before July 22.

Riverside County Board to Decide Whether to Impose Liens on Delinquent Bill Payers