TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Steve S. Charelian, Finance Department Director
Cynthia F. Mickschl, Revenue Services Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Adopt a Resolution Establishing a Policy for Discontinuation of Residential Water Service Pursuant to SB 998 (Finance Director Charelian).
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 20-0009
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 20-0009 establishing a policy for discontinuation of residential water service.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There would be no direct impact to the General Fund. The Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds may see a slight slowdown in revenues due to the lengthening of the delinquency period before discontinuation of residential water service and the requirement to offer a payment arrangement plan that could be as long as 12 months. Translation of the policy into the minimum five languages required by SB998 (Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean) will cost approximately $500.
BACKGROUND:
Senate Bill 998 (Dodd) relating to the discontinuation of residential water service in urban and community water systems was signed by former Governor Jerry Brown in September 2018. Senate Bill 998 (SB 998) requires cities to provide additional rules and procedures before residential water service can be interrupted and is intended to minimize the number of Californians who have their water service interrupted due to their inability to pay. The City of Manhattan Beach issues about 79,500 residential water service bills per year (billed bi-monthly) and processes an average of 80 turn-offs annually (less than 1%).
It is mandatory that the City comply with the requirements set forth in SB 998 by February 1, 2020. The City's first billing affected by this law will be on February 12, 2020.
DISCUSSION:
Currently, the City allows for payments to be m...
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