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Residents push back on Willows plan to start in-house sewer billing and add part-time utility-biller
Summary
Council discussion of a proposed part‑time utility‑biller position and the city’s plan to move sewer billing in‑house drew heavy public opposition citing enforcement limits, startup costs and timing; staff noted the city already purchased a Tyler Technologies billing module and intends public outreach if the position is approved.
Council discussion on July 14 over whether Willows should begin directly billing sewer customers and create a part-time utility‑biller position drew extended public comment and sharp questioning from council members.
Council member Lori Pride pulled the job classification (item 8e) for discussion, saying residents had expressed concern that a part‑time position was being presented as full time in some materials. Staff clarified the position was budgeted as part time (about $22,000 per year) in the Sewer Enterprise Fund, and that the city had purchased a Tyler Technologies billing module earlier (about $17,500) plus roughly $6,700 in configuration costs and an annual subscription around $16,500.
Public commenters argued the city lacks effective enforcement tools for delinquent sewer fees if billing moves in-house and said the county’s placement on the property tax roll remains the most effective collection mechanism. "Moving sewer fees to the county roll eliminates the need for staff enforcement," Karen Johnson read from a letter; other speakers including Jesse Orndorff and Peggy White warned of double billing during transition and urged prioritizing public-safety and other urgent matters.
City staff said the city has been planning this move for years and purchased software and a module to enable in‑house billing, noting that Cal Water has signaled it wants to exit sewer billing for small districts like Willows. Staff also discussed a hybrid approach—starting with commercial accounts or continuing to work with the county where practical—but acknowledged several timeline and resource uncertainties, including the county's August 10 deadline for tax‑roll submissions and whether the city engineer can compile required lists in time if the council reverses course.
Council did not finalize the job-classification adoption that night; members asked staff to clarify communications, amend the job description to state "part time" clearly, and provide a more detailed implementation timeline and policy on collections. Staff said it would proceed with a public communications plan if the council approves the classification in a future meeting.
