Waterford City Council approves ordinance first reading and three resolutions in unanimous votes

The Waterford City Council on an evening meeting adopted the introduction and first reading of Ordinance 2025-01 and approved three resolutions in unanimous 5-0 votes.

The ordinance (2025-01) updates the city purchasing and public works bidding thresholds to align with changes in the California Public Contracts Code so staff may use the new expenditure limits. Under the changes discussed by staff, public works projects of $75,000 or less may be performed by force account (time-and-materials), negotiated contract or purchase order; projects under $220,000 may be let by informal procedures requiring multiple informal written bids; projects above $220,000 require the formal advertised bidding process. Staff said the new thresholds would take effect 30 days after adoption of the ordinance’s final reading.

The council also adopted Resolution 2025-08, a resolution of intention to establish/annex property into an existing community facilities district (CFD 2019) following a petition by FH Building Company, a California corporation. Staff said the annexation covers two parcels the staff labeled Waterstone C (upper parcel) and Waterstone A (lower parcel), together producing about 80 single-family homes in the city’s northeast sector south of Vineyard Road near the MID Main Canal. The special tax rate established when the district was created in 2019 was $210.12 per property with a 3% annual escalation cap. Staff outlined the next steps: record the tentative boundary map with the county within 15 days, hold an annexation public hearing (staff referenced May 1 for the hearing), record a notice of special tax lien after the owner action, and hold a second-reading hearing to levy the special tax (staff referenced an ordinance meeting on May 15 for second reading).

Separately, the council rescinded an earlier fee resolution and adopted Resolution 2025-09 to approve an updated fee schedule for Waterford baseball field rentals and to establish a fee waiver for youth sports leagues that are local to the city. Staff described the change as aimed at supporting youth sports and keeping user fees affordable for families.

Finally, the council adopted Resolution 2025-10 giving notice of intent to abandon a public utility easement that runs under and across the city-owned F Street storm drainage basin. Staff (Nick Stevens of NCR Engineering) told the council the easement originated for telegraph lines serving then-local railroad tracks, that no utilities currently occupy the easement, and that abandoning it clears the way for ongoing lot and frontage work the city is negotiating with an adjacent homeowner.

All four actions passed on voice votes recorded as 5-0.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 2025-01 (Introduction and first reading): Approved (motion to approve introduction and first reading). Vote: 5-0. Motion/second: not specified in the record. Effect: Aligns municipal purchasing/bidding thresholds with current Public Contracts Code limits; new thresholds to be used by staff after the ordinance’s final adoption process.

- Resolution 2025-08 (Resolution of intention to establish/annex into CFD 2019): Approved (motion to adopt). Vote: 5-0. Effect: Initiates annexation steps for Waterstone A and C (about 80 single-family lots) into CFD 2019; next steps include boundary map recording, an annexation hearing, notice of lien recording, and a second-reading hearing to levy the special tax.

- Resolution 2025-09 (Rescind prior fee resolution and adopt updated baseball field fee schedule): Approved (motion to adopt). Vote: 5-0. Effect: Updates field rental fee schedule and establishes fee waiver for youth sports leagues in Waterford.

- Resolution 2025-10 (Notice of intent to abandon public utility easement under F Street storm basin): Approved (motion to adopt). Vote: 5-0. Effect: Begins process to abandon an unused utility easement that staff said had been reserved historically for telegraph lines serving a railroad; staff said no active utilities occupy the easement today.

Council members and staff did not record individual roll-call votes by name in the public record; the clerk announced each item passed 5-0.

Context: The ordinance change updates local procurement practice to reflect state guidance on informal vs. formal bidding and higher informal-bid expenditure limits. The CFD action follows a petition from a private developer and uses the existing CFD structure approved in 2019; staff provided a breakdown of the 2019 special tax components (streets and trees, street lighting, landscaping/public areas and medians, and administrative costs).

Quotes from the meeting (verbatim from staff presentations):

"Public contracts under $220,000 or less may be let by informal procedures as set forth in the ordinance." — Mr. Pitcock, staff member

"Together, the development will produce about 80 homes in that area." — Cynthia, staff member

"Of the 36.85% that was for streets, of that 30.77 is the slurry seal portion and just this smaller 6.8% portion is for the street sweeping." — Cynthia, staff member

Ending: The council’s unanimous actions move the ordinance and three resolutions forward; the ordinance remains at first reading and staff outlined calendar steps and recording requirements for the CFD annexation. Items with pending dates (annexation hearing, second reading to levy a special tax) will return to the council for final action.