Yuba City council reports no majority protest and moves forward with proposed water and wastewater rate ordinance

The Yuba City Council on May 19 held a Proposition 218 public hearing and, after the city clerk tabulated 387 timely written protests (not a majority of parcels), adopted a resolution declaring the protest results and introduced an ordinance to amend chapters of the municipal code that govern water and wastewater rates.

Utilities Director Phil Marler told the council the proposed five‑year rate schedule is driven by large capital needs and rising operating costs. He said the water system serves more than 20,000 connections and the wastewater system more than 16,000, and cited examples of cost increases — total chlorine costs rising from about $196,000 in 2019 to $659,000 in 2025 and liquid oxygen for wastewater rising from $227,000 in 2019 to $965,000 in 2025 — that factor into the rate study. Marler also described required reserve targets and debt‑service obligations and said staff mailed protest notices, held a community meeting on April 23 and provided materials in English, Spanish and Punjabi.

Dozens of residents and advocates urged the council to reject the increases or seek outside funding. Catherine Carpenter, an attorney and Yuba City resident, said outreach had been limited and worried low‑income households and renters who pay water through landlords were unlikely to be counted in the written‑protest process. Leonora Martinez, representing the Sacramento Valley Workers Benefit Council, and other speakers said many farmworkers and low‑income residents could not afford the proposed increases and urged the city to seek state or federal funds. Amaya Schroeder, a Yuba College student and volunteer advocate, described a case she helped avert in which a low‑income household faced a $900 arrearage and near shutoff, and cited a state law provision she said protects low‑income customers from disconnection.

Council members acknowledged the hardship concerns while stressing the city’s limited options. Vice Mayor Pasquale and Council Member Shaw explained that certain grants are restricted to specific projects and cannot be reallocated, and they described unexpected capital needs — including a costly diffuser replacement — and regulatory requirements that make reinvestment necessary. Shaw and other council members warned that delaying repairs could risk state intervention or privatization, and emphasized ongoing efforts to pursue federal and state grant funding to offset rate impacts.

After a brief recess for the city clerk to tabulate written protests, City Clerk Sierra Wakefield reported 387 timely protests and advised the council that the number was "manifestly less than one half of the parcels served by the city." The council then voted to adopt a resolution declaring the protest results and voted to introduce — and waive first reading of — an ordinance amending Title 6 (water and wastewater) of the Yuba City Municipal Code. Roll‑call votes were recorded in favor of the resolution and the ordinance introduction.

The council and staff said they will continue seeking outside grants to reduce rate pressure and review affordability measures. The ordinance introduction sets the process moving forward; the council did not adopt final rate ordinances at first reading, which will require subsequent meetings and formal adoption steps.