Metropolitan Water District’s Billion Dollar Property Tax

The politically appointed Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is proposing to increase its Special Property Tax by 71% over the next three years, from 0.007% to 0.018% of the Assessed Value of $4.1 trillion in its 5,200 square mile service territory.  This is after doubling the rate in 2024.  Since 2024, the rate of taxation will have increased by over five times, from 0.0035% to 0.018%.

To put this in simpler terms, the annual tax on a million dollar house will increase from $35 in 2024 to $180 in 2028.  The total MWD haul will increase from $136 million in 2024 to $859 million in 2028, an increase of 6.3 times when factoring in the annual increase in the Assessed Value, and almost $1 billion in 2030.