Council approves placing unpaid code enforcement fines on property tax roll after public hearing

YUBA CITY — The Yuba City Council voted to add unpaid code enforcement citation fines totaling $45,900 from 19 properties to the county secured property tax roll and to direct that liens be placed on the subject properties, after a public hearing and discussion about collection practices and impacts on property owners.

The council heard a presentation from Doug Libby of the city’s code enforcement team outlining the city’s updated nuisance process and the collection proposal. Libby said the proposed list includes 19 properties and 49 citations, with proposed collections capped at about $5,000 per property to avoid placing uncollectible amounts on a tax bill. He said similar authority was used last year when the city placed $35,600 in unpaid fines from 29 properties onto the tax roll.

During the public hearing, two residents described their experiences with code enforcement. Joseph Haggerty said he believes some enforcement is driven by real estate agents and homeowners associations and described feeling targeted; Martha Marcio, a retiree who owns a rental at 906 Almond Street, said she received two citations while trying to repair an electrical issue for a veteran tenant and asked council to consider financial hardship when fines are levied.

Council members questioned staff about how liens are collected and whether fines could be higher. Libby said the packet will be submitted to the county auditor‑controller’s office in the first week of August and that the charges will appear as a line item on the first and second property tax installments (typically the December and April installments). He explained the city limited the collection amounts in some cases to avoid “diminishing returns” from placing very large fines on property taxes.

Mayor Dave Shaw moved to adopt the resolution to include unpaid citation fines on the secured tax roll and direct liens on the subject properties. The motion was seconded and approved; all council members voted in favor.

Libby told residents that fines can still be satisfied before the transfer to the auditor‑controller; if they are paid in full before the submission, they will not appear on the tax bill. He also noted the city is using the tax‑roll process as one tool to recoup costs when other abatement steps and outreach efforts have not resulted in compliance.

The action will allow the city to offset some general fund impacts of code enforcement and reuse those collections for program costs. Libby said staff mailed invoices in January and March and sent a 15‑day notice of the council meeting to affected property owners on June 13.