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Cemetery representatives press Oakley council over meter bypass, new two-tier cemetery water rates
Summary
Cemetery representatives and councilors debated a discovered meter bypass and a recently adopted two-tier cemetery water rate; staff said state conservation rules require a two-tier structure and that the council selected the least-impactful scenario in April.
A prolonged exchange at the May 27 Oakley City Council meeting focused on a recently discovered meter bypass at one cemetery and a new two-tier water-rate structure the council adopted in April.
A cemetery representative described a long-running billing dispute, said one meter had been bypassing recording at times, and urged the council to spread seasonal use over 12 months or otherwise reduce overage charges. Council staff and city representatives said state law requires a conservation-oriented two-tier rate structure for culinary water providers with more than 500 connections; under the adopted structure each cemetery meter receives a base allowance of 100,000 gallons per month and is charged overage rates for usage above that block.
Staff reviewed historical usage and said, using 2025 data, the combined cemetery bill under the new rate structure would be lower than prior year billings — for the year scenario the cemetery would have been billed approximately $2,006.60 under the adopted tier versus roughly $5,566 under the previous pricing. Staff also said a previously bypassing meter was corrected and that the city has one month's worth of corrected readings to analyze; council committed to follow up and confirm meter readings across all three cemetery meters.
Cemetery representatives pressed for concessions and pointed to operational problems (sprinkler/distribution arrangements, ownership questions for irrigation infrastructure) that complicate comparisons. Council members suggested further technical checks (additional meters or short-term monitoring) and committed to a follow-up meeting and direct outreach to the cemetery representative.
The council did not change rates at the meeting but said staff will return with confirmed meter readings and follow-up proposals and offered private meetings to clarify the adopted April rate scenario and its calculations.
