Yuba City Council approves grant-funded turf rebate, pedestrian safety, sign upgrades and Plumas Street plaza plans

The Yuba City Council on Tuesday evening approved a set of grant-funded programs and capital projects aimed at water conservation, pedestrian safety and downtown placemaking.

The council approved guidelines for a commercial turf-replacement rebate program, authorized the advertisement of bids for a pedestrian safety and striping improvements project and for a citywide sign upgrade program, and approved plans and specifications for the Plumas Street Water Tower plaza. All four items were approved by the council with the motions carried at the meeting.

Ben Moody, acting city manager, described the turf-replacement program as part of a larger grant package. "The city received about a $3,400,000 grant, and as part of that grant, there's a rebate program that we requested," Moody said. He said the commercial rebate will provide up to $5 per square foot with a $10,000 cap per commercial location; funding applies to design and construction and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis following a city pre-approval inspection and submission of receipts.

Moody told the council the rebate program targets existing irrigated lawns that use city potable water and is designed to encourage conversion to lower-water-use landscaping in light of California drought-related legislation and conservation targets. He said the portion of grant funding allocated to the commercial rebate is $575,000 and that no local match is required.

City staff presented three separate capital projects funded largely by grants and CIP accounts. A pedestrian safety and striping improvements project, supported by a Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) award, will focus on high-visibility crosswalks, centerline and edge striping and ADA ramp upgrades at locations including Park Avenue Elementary, Yuba City High School, the library, Fire Station 1 and several school crossings. Staff said the HSIP award was about $194,000 and the engineer's estimate for the base project is $785,000 (including a 10% contingency and 5% construction management); an add-alternate schedule would add roughly $115,000 for a total estimated program cost of about $900,000. The base scope includes about 1.59 miles of crosswalk striping, 1.2 miles of traffic striping and upgrades to 42 existing curb ramps to meet current ADA standards.

A citywide sign audit and upgrade project will replace, relocate, rehabilitate or remove signs that do not meet current standards. Staff reported an audit of 4,153 city-owned signs in 2024, of which approximately 2,260 were identified as needing some form of work (replacement, relocation, cleaning, rehabilitation or removal). The engineer's estimate for construction is about $1.5 million; staff noted CIP account 1315 holds approximately $1.529 million for the project.

Plans and specifications for the Plumas Street Water Tower plaza were also approved for bid. The project will add a plaza and seating wall under the water tower, a gateway arch at Plumas and Bridge streets, and trash/recycling upgrades along the Plumas–Center Street corridor. Staff said the city received a grant award of $2.2 million for the broader initiative and estimated the plaza construction at about $1.07 million (including a 10% contingency and 3% for construction management). Staff indicated CIP account 1268 has sufficient funds for this phase.

Council members asked procedural and scheduling questions but there was little debate on the items. No public commenters spoke on these matters during the meeting. The items will proceed to public advertisement for bids; staff will return to council to recommend contract awards and provide final fiscal impacts once bids are received.

The meeting also included routine business: a consent calendar motion to approve consent items 5–7 carried, and the city attorney reported no reportable action from a closed-session item concerning Flores Garcia v. City. Several ceremonial recognitions and community commendations were presented earlier in the meeting (proclamations and awards), but those were not part of the council's formal actions addressed above.

Votes at a glance

- Consent calendar (items 5–7): Motion to approve consent calendar items 5–7 — outcome: approved (ayes).

- Commercial turf replacement rebate program (agenda item 9): Motion to adopt rebate guidelines as recommended; program provides up to $5 per square foot, $10,000 cap per commercial location, program funding allocated $575,000 (no local match). Outcome: approved (ayes).

- Pedestrian safety and striping improvements (advertise for bid): Motion to adopt plans/specifications and authorize advertisement for bids; engineer's estimate $785,000 (base) with add-alternate $115,000 for a program total ~ $900,000; HSIP award approx. $194,000. Outcome: approved (ayes).

- Citywide sign upgrades (advertise for bid): Motion to adopt plans/specifications and authorize advertisement for bids; audit identified ~2,260 signs needing work; construction estimate $1.5 million; CIP account 1315 balance ~$1.529 million. Outcome: approved (ayes).

- Plumas Street Water Tower Plaza (advertise for bid): Motion to adopt plans/specifications and authorize advertisement for bids; engineer's estimate ~$1.07 million; grant award for broader project $2.2 million; CIP account 1268 has sufficient funds. Outcome: approved (ayes).

What happens next

Each capital project will be advertised for bid; staff will return to the council with bid results and a detailed fiscal impact report before awarding contracts. Commercial property owners interested in the turf-replacement rebate will be required to apply, permit a pre-project inspection, complete the work, submit receipts and documentation, and receive payment following final verification by city staff.

No dates for contract awards were set at the meeting; staff noted anticipated contract awards in May and summer starts for construction on the projects presented.