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Council adopts Resolution 25-27 creating low-income water/sewer discount and reducing mobile-home sewer charge
Summary
The council approved Resolution 25-27 to link a 20% low-income discount for qualifying customers to the state CARE program and to reduce the additional-dwelling-unit sewer charge for mobile-home parks by 50%.
The Buellton City Council approved Resolution 25-27, which (a) establishes eligibility for a 20% low-income discount on monthly water and sewer bills by using existing eligibility from the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) programs administered by PG&E and SoCalGas, and (b) reduces the additional-dwelling-unit (ADU) sewer charge for mobile-home park units by 50% of the previously recommended rate.
Public Works Director Rose Hess told the council staff had reviewed options for affordability and found no existing separate low-income programs for water and sewer. Instead, staff recommended using the vetting and application process of PG&E’s and SoCalGas’s CARE programs as proof of eligibility. Hess summarized typical CARE eligibility — participation in programs such as CalFresh, Medi-Cal or meeting household income guidelines — and said customers would need to provide proof of qualification and renew it every two years. Staff recommended applying a 20% discount to monthly water and sewer bills for customers who qualify under those utility programs.
Hess also explained the sewer-rate change: reducing the per-unit ADU charge for mobile-home parks by 50% from the rates recommended in the study. Staff estimated that change would reduce projected sewer revenue by roughly 5% but said the impact would be manageable within the budget.
Council members discussed whether customers already in arrears would benefit; staff said customers already in payment plans would remain in those plans and that the 20% discount would apply to bills moving forward after program approval. Councilmember Carla Mead and others pressed for outreach efforts; Vice Mayor Lewis asked that the city provide bilingual (English/Spanish) notices and include program information with water bills. City staff agreed to include explanatory materials in the next utility billing cycle and to use the city’s printed outreach channel.
The council voted to adopt Resolution 25-27; the motion passed unanimously. The resolution directs staff to implement the low-income discount program using CARE program eligibility, apply the 50% ADU reduction for mobile-home park units, and conduct outreach to inform qualifying customers.
