[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6690347,"mediaKeyId","2257155-fe70569ba861878dd7c34687c9a18300","parentId",2257155,"title","Upland council asks staff for line-item view of general‑fund events and discretionary spending ahead of budget adjustments","audioSeconds",807,"startMs",2193000,"endMs",3000000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2257155-fe70569ba861878dd7c34687c9a18300&start=2193&end=3000","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2257155-fe70569ba861878dd7c34687c9a18300/thumbnail_2193000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6690347/Upland/San-Bernardino-County/California/Upland-council-asks-staff-for-line-item-view-of-generalfund-events-and-discretionary-spending-ahead-of-budget-adjustments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6690347-018b563dbb833b1dc9507b6d5b4aff36/orig.mp4?Expires=1771189524&Signature=VK16djBBbWHbnAKLIW84DMOx0tML-ATbx6-sN-oVWk5Azs2~-2JKRilXnIln4hLCOzF7hP4JexBq~ljpS8oIURqpLq8B88vcbgxcw7U6Qo3PaYJffSB3zwoYzbzzp2MelxaBaBBBj5gHVjDyQJTVBi08jAa825sWaU~xIyAD6-gtMGr~xDGu4UnSCUkX0cg0DXa~vHj1~lJjUxqPc93RQo5Wk1hJDmB2aPkaBw2FwRTehQFCbsPD8uzVbwjCDP9zPNcIZcja-T4kSKMoYCSzIUoPmueULFO~4xoDHwaumXfaOoS3ePVjr69qKiz0KVtq-tJa-EoR1MAXtcbU3aa5PA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Upland","date","2025-02-10T00:00:00Z","article","At the Feb. 10 meeting, a council member asked staff to provide a clearer, department-by-department summary of general-fund expenditures for noncore events and programs so the council and the public can evaluate options ahead of upcoming budget decisions.

“I want the public to see what’s impacting by line item our general fund and see if we need to make any adjustments or give direction to staff before the budget cycle,” the council member said. The request singled out city events such as the Hometown Holiday Parade and the July Fourth fireworks as examples of programs that may be subsidized by the general fund.

Recreation staff and the city manager told the council that staff can present event-level totals (the net cost of an event after revenues and expenses) rather than every minor line item inside an event. The city manager said some items need quick decisions — for example, planning and vendor commitments for the July Fourth event — and that staff would try to provide a useful menu of options at the next meeting, even if the report could not be exhaustive.

Council members debated the scale of the request and emphasized they did not intend to direct cuts to personnel or essential services. One council member cautioned against turning the briefing into a lengthy workshop; the council ultimately directed the city manager to prioritize and bring forward a focused set of options for nonpersonnel items that affect the general fund, with particular attention to events that require near-term vendor commitments.

The council did not take a formal vote on a policy change; it provided direction to staff to return with a prioritized list of programs and event-level cost impacts for the next council meeting. The city manager will decide scope and prioritization of material to be produced.

Next steps: departments will be asked to identify discretionary events and programs that materially affect the general fund; staff indicated they would try to provide a packet in time for the next council meeting and noted that some items could require more time to compile.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Upland - City Council - Feb 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A council member asked staff to present department-level, event-cost summaries and options to continue or cut non-core general fund items before the next council meeting; the council agreed staff should prioritize items at the city manager's direction.","taxTitle","Upland, San Bernardino County, California","taxId",4300,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6690352,"Upland council directs staff to explore placing unpaid residential utility charges on county tax roll",837,1263000,2100000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2257155-fe70569ba861878dd7c34687c9a18300&start=1263&end=2100","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2257155-fe70569ba861878dd7c34687c9a18300/thumbnail_1263000.jpg","/articles/6690352/Upland/San-Bernardino-County/California/Upland-council-directs-staff-to-explore-placing-unpaid-residential-utility-charges-on-county-tax-roll","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6690352-a69f772b1b6167b04bef2db0a21f69b0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771189524&Signature=WIsXtEhQ57pJ~HlsOY~pOTjRz~-xJg1cPIjPEQ8S1PWVmopJrOe7KcsD10~rmyiJcZUKOSpuG~dxR78iTCW-fwJEo9Jtr6zZcOjVdoqIroqpyuWxKALyZ7lTOeV5K-Cc422pPIdjId7VL3GxCWAKPYPP7J9axe07VsJLLIQAWw0jp9CtZpRW~pb0JmLf59UnEEuNuvAkbuFjiJaLy0dBcfrLGVDk4VOSJv9pBLQsVp3-2ZJJN8DCQCJ951414ZToV5QpvFhxAGk~qCMFvOJkgnuLe7Z6BmJHqaN10LESLDST1jU3J93c5whRMcFXPp~LdIvtgm2Nlp11QKtcq2CkDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its Feb. 10 meeting, the Upland City Council voted unanimously to authorize staff to begin the process of evaluating whether delinquent residential utility charges can be placed on the San Bernardino County property tax roll and to bring the matter to the Public Works Committee and a public hearing in May.

Public Works Director Chris Saloni told the council that state and pandemic-era actions reduced the city’s ability to use shutoffs and late fees to collect unpaid bills. “Back in 2018, Senate Bill 998 was signed into effect,” Saloni said. “That coupled with the COVID measures that Gavin Newsom introduced, which prohibited late fees from being billed to all of our customers, has created almost $2,000,000 worth of uncollected utility bills for services rendered.”

The motion approved by the council is exploratory: staff will analyze options and bring details to the Public Works Committee, with a public hearing planned for May. Saloni said the committee discussion is scheduled for April 8. The council also directed staff to use social media and other outreach channels to notify residents about upcoming committee and hearing dates; staff said a mailed notice would likely be prohibitively expensive.

Council members pressed for clarity about who would be affected and whether commercial accounts would be included. Saloni said the current proposal applies to residential accounts only, and that commercial collection methods differ: “For commercial the way that we go after them is through liens on the property,” he said. He said staff can explore applying the county tax-roll approach to commercial properties as part of the study but that the immediate proposal is residential-focused.

Council members also asked about the budgetary impacts. Saloni said unpaid utility revenue is currently borne by the city’s enterprise fund and that those funds are used for utility operations and rehabilitation projects; he noted that moving unpaid charges to the tax roll would change timing and collection mechanics. Saloni also explained that some utility costs — for example, payments to the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) and waste vendors — are currently paid by the city even when individual customers do not pay their bills and that shifting collection to the tax roll could affect cash flow and accounting for those vendor payments.

Several council members and the city manager asked staff to analyze alternatives, including whether the city would subsidize uncollected revenue or pursue other collection methods, and to include potential effects on mortgage escrow and property owners’ impound accounts. Saloni described lawsuits to recover small balances as usually cost-prohibitive and said the staff analysis will compare options and trade-offs.

The council’s vote instructs staff to return with more detailed analysis to the Public Works Committee and to set a public hearing in May. The motion was moved and seconded and passed unanimously.

Next steps: staff will prepare the analysis for the April 8 Public Works Committee meeting and schedule a public hearing in May. The city indicated it will publicize meeting dates and material through social media and its usual channels.","The Upland City Council voted unanimously to begin a process to consider placing unpaid residential utility charges on the San Bernardino County tax roll, after staff said state law and COVID-era policies left the city with roughly $2 million in uncollected utility revenue.","actionData","errors"]

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Upland council asks staff for line-item view of general‑fund events and discretionary spending ahead of budget adjustments

Upland council directs staff to explore placing unpaid residential utility charges on county tax roll