Taft council authorizes county collection of refuse and sewer charges, keeps landscaping assessment at $86; approves chamber funding

The Taft City Council on July 15 adopted a series of resolutions allowing the Kern County tax collector to collect refuse, street‑sweeping and standby charges for vacant commercial properties, and to collect sewer and standby sewer charges; the council also approved the Landscape & Lighting Maintenance District No. 1 assessment for fiscal year 2025–26 and passed consent calendar items that included a 25% allocation of transient occupancy tax to the Taft Chamber of Commerce for January–March 2025.

The measures to place refuse, street‑sweeping and sewer assessments on the county tax roll were presented as routine items during public hearings. Acting city manager Von Boire introduced the refuse and street‑sweeping item; a separate staff presentation opened the sewer item. No members of the public spoke in support of or opposition to either hearing. The council passed both resolutions on unanimous 4–0 roll calls.

For the Landscape & Lighting Maintenance District No. 1, staff reported that the engineer's report (received 06/18/2024) proposed keeping the parcel assessment at the same level as the previous year: $86. Staff said assessments would be collected by the county and disbursed for landscape and lighting maintenance. No public comments were offered during that hearing; the council adopted the resolution and made CEQA findings that the actions were not projects under the California Environmental Quality Act, citing the CEQA guideline provisions listed in staff reports.

The consent calendar (items 11–13) was approved 4–0. It included approval of the minutes for the July 1 regular meeting; payment of bills in the amount of about $185,000; and a motion to allocate 25% of transient occupancy tax revenues to the Taft Chamber of Commerce for the January–March 2025 quarter, as requested by the chamber.

Roll‑call votes on the formal items recorded the four members present voting yes: Council member Kreier, Mayor Pro Tem Bryant, Council member Waldrop and Mayor Noor. Several council members offered brief remarks in support of the measures, describing them as routine administrative steps to ensure assessments and fees are collected and disbursed appropriately and encouraging property owners in affected assessment areas to engage if they had concerns.

The meeting’s other notable business included a public comment from a Taft Chamber representative offering thanks for the chamber funding and presenting a proclamation honoring a community volunteer for assistance during the Independence Day fireworks event, and a police department report summarizing June statistics. The council did not go into closed session and adjourned the meeting the same evening.

Votes at a glance - Adopted resolution authorizing Kern County tax collector to collect refuse and street‑sweeping charges and standby charges for vacant commercial buildings (staff citation in report: Health and Safety Code section 5473 et seq.; CEQA finding cited). Outcome: approved 4–0 (Council member Kreier, Mayor Pro Tem Bryant, Council member Waldrop, Mayor Noor — yes). - Adopted resolution authorizing Kern County tax collector to collect sewer charges and standby sewer charges for vacant commercial buildings (staff citation in report: Health and Safety Code section 5473 et seq.; CEQA finding cited). Outcome: approved 4–0 (Kreier, Bryant, Waldrop, Noor — yes). - Adopted resolution setting assessments for Landscape & Lighting Maintenance District No. 1 for FY 2025–26, assessment remaining at $86. Outcome: approved 4–0 (Kreier, Bryant, Waldrop, Noor — yes). - Approved consent calendar (items 11–13), including minutes (07/01/2025), payment of bills (~$185,000), and 25% allocation of transient occupancy tax to Taft Chamber (Jan–Mar 2025). Outcome: approved 4–0 (Kreier, Bryant, Waldrop, Noor — yes).

Staff and speakers Acting city manager Von Boire — staff member presenting refuse/street‑sweeping item "Mister Moyer" — staff member presenting sewer item "Mister Boyer" — staff member presenting Landscape & Lighting item Dr. Cathy Orrin — Taft Chamber of Commerce representative (public comment) Chief McMinn — Taft Police Department (department report) Mayor Noor — mayor (presided) Mayor Pro Tem Bryant — council member (presided at times) Council member Kreier — council member (voted yes) Council member Waldrop — council member (voted yes)

What the resolutions do - County tax‑collector collections: The adopted resolutions place the listed refuse, street‑sweeping and sewer assessments on the Kern County tax rolls, a commonly used administrative mechanism that allows the county to collect delinquent charges alongside property taxes and remit proceeds to the city for the specified services. - Landscape & Lighting assessment: The council adopted the engineer’s recommendation to maintain the existing per‑parcel assessment ($86) to pay for ongoing maintenance and operations in the district’s defined tracts. - Chamber funding and bills: The consent actions authorized payment of the city’s claims and a one‑quarter transient‑occupancy tax allocation (25%) to the Taft Chamber of Commerce for the quarter identified in the staff report.

The council’s staff reports cited CEQA guideline provisions and referenced Health and Safety Code provisions in the reports as the legal basis for placing assessments on the county tax roll; staff recommended the council make the CEQA determinations included in the printed resolutions. The meeting record shows no public opposition during the hearings and no substantive amendments to the proposed resolutions.

Next steps and context The city clerk will transmit certified copies of the adopted resolutions and the executed engineer’s report to the county auditor/controller’s office or the county office responsible for special assessments, as required to place the charges on the tax roll. Property owners in affected assessment areas were invited by council remarks to contact city staff if they had questions or concerns.