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Council directs ordinance to raise rental utility deposit to $200; homeowners exempt
Summary
After staff reported that renters account for most unpaid move-out balances, council directed the City Clerk to draft an ordinance raising the rental utility deposit from $150 to $200 while keeping no deposit for new homeowners; council did not adopt the ordinance at this meeting.
The council discussed increasing the utility deposit for new rental accounts. Staff said unpaid balances left after move-outs have increased over time and that renters represent the majority of those unpaid bills.
Councilmembers noted that peer cities charge deposits ranging from about $80 to $200 and that some jurisdictions also add a nonrefundable administration fee. The council directed the City Clerk to prepare the necessary ordinance and policy language to raise the deposit for renters from $150 to $200 and to keep no deposit for new homeowners; the council declined to adopt an administrative fee at this time. The proposed ordinance will be presented for a future vote.
