Riverside proposes 5.7% fee hike plus automatic CPI bumps each year

Raincross Gazette: City staff want to tie most Riverside fees to local CPI each year, starting with a 5.7% bump for fiscal 2026-27. The package covers a broad range — City Clerk notary services, public records, Fire Department late inspection fees, Parks and Recreation classes and rentals, a new $49 contamination fee for repeat recycling-cart problems, and others. Staff estimate the first-year revenue lift at about $862,000.

The debate split along familiar lines. Councilmember Sean Mill said he could not back anything with "an automatic increase built right into the municipal code every year" and pressed staff on whether recurring increases would push fees above actual service costs or affect business retention. Steven Robillard countered that under-charging users means subsidizing them from elsewhere, and called user-pay more equitable. Staff said the CPI mechanism would keep pace with costs between full fee studies, with the existing 80% cost-recovery cap negotiated with developers preserved.

The contamination fee is required under SB 1383 and only triggers after three tagged warnings, staff said. The full package goes to a June 23 public hearing.