Ordinance committee forwards measure to remove inactive water meters, with staff asked to address buyer-impact concerns

The Ordinance Committee of the City of Santa Barbara on June 17 voted unanimously to forward to the full City Council a proposed ordinance that would allow the city to deem inactive water and wastewater services "detached" after at least one year of account closure and to remove associated meters and infrastructure.

City staff said the proposal is intended to replace the existing reserved-capacity charges program and clean up unused assets that the city continues to maintain despite receiving no monthly service revenue. "Staff is recommending that the ordinance committee forward to council for introduction, an ordinance adding chapter 14.1 to the Santa Barbara Municipal Code," said Katie Munster, water resources specialist, presenting the item.

The ordinance would apply to utility accounts closed for at least one year. Staff said there are roughly 460 accounts that have been closed for at least a year — about 1.6% of the city’s roughly 27,000 connections. Of those 460 accounts, staff reported about 41% are commercial, 31% irrigation-only, and 28% residential.

Under the proposed program the city would mail written…