City officials are changing the city code on utility service billing which may result in lower rates for some residents. Some provisions of the code have not been touched in 20 years and city officials say the old language did not meet state health and safety codes. Shelle Smallwood, Utilities Department billing manager, told members of the city’s Law and Legislation committee Tuesday that the changes reflect updates that are consistent with current city practices and with the state code. Other than a potential rate reduction for a few customers, there does not appear to be any financial impact from the changes in the city code for other customers or for the city. In addition to clarify

About 65 Pocket and Greenhaven residents gathered Thursday night to learn about current city issues. City staffers briefed the citizens on the city budget, green waste pick-up services and other topics during the community meeting, which was organized by City Councilman Darrell Fong. Attendees were fully engaged throughout the meeting, asking plenty of questions. It began at 6:30 p.m. and by 8:30 p.m. few had left John F. Kennedy High School on Gloria Drive. City Finance Director Leyne Milstein presented information to the group about the city’s $35-$40 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year. She noted that the $35-$40 million represents about 20 percent of the net general fun

The Sacramento City Council agreed on Tuesday night to shell out as much as $350,000 in general fund dollars to correct past violations of federal flood management laws. City officials have acknowledged that Dan Waters, a Community Development Department staffer and the son of outgoing City Councilman Robbie Waters, broke Federal Emergency Management Agency rules when he provided 35 building permits to a developer in a Natomas flood zone last year. Councilman Waters recused himself from the vote on the “corrective action plan” Tuesday night, while the eight other members approved it. Fong said that it was important to support the action plan to send a message to FEMA to ensure that the

Two Sacramento City Councilmen are leading a campaign against a November ballot measure that would overturn a 9.2 percent utilities rate increase.  Councilmen Kevin McCarty and Steve Cohn are heading the recently formed campaign to oppose Measure B, the Utilities Rate Rollback Act of 2010. Opponents also created the No on Measure B committee to raise funds for its efforts. “We don’t think (Measure B) is a good idea for the city of Sacramento,” McCarty said Tuesday. “The bottom line is, it’s going to blow a big hole in our budget.” The 9.2 percent utilities rate hike began July 1. Council members approved the increase last year. Measure B would eliminate that rate hike and also link cit

A controversial ballot measure to halt a 9.2 percent city utilities rate hike is causing tension between city staffers and backers of the measure. Two local groups, the Sacramento County Taxpayers League and the Campaign for Common Sense Utilities Rates, have gathered signatures to put an initiative on the Nov. 2 ballot that would stop the rate hike. The Sacramento County Registrar has found that 5,420 signatures presented by the groups were credible, according to a June 22 report from the Utilities Department. The registrar required proof of 5,420 legitimate signatures to place the measure on the ballot. The City Council voted to increase rates on residents’ utilities bills last year, a

The "City of Trees" just got a little bit greener. RecycleBank, a nationwide recycling incentive program, launched a pilot program May 24 in the South Meadowview neighborhood. Participants earn points for their neighborhoods recycling properly. Blue recycling containers often line the streets, but Jessica Hess of the Department of Utilities said they're often not used correctly. "There is a high amount of contamination," she said. "Many residents use the blue (recycling) containers for their extra garbage." Contamination occurs when nonrecyclable or unclean items are placed in recycling containers. When sorted, these items are taken to a landfill, which costs money and hurts the environ

City of Sacramento residents are invited to apply for a position on the Utilities Rate Advisory Commission. Established by the Sacramento City Council in 2008, this commission is a sounding board for proposed rate changes and serves as an expert advisory panel to the Mayor and City Council. Members also serve as a community liaison, providing information about utility service rates and collecting feedback. “We understand that customer input in the rate setting process is vital to balancing service levels set by the City Council with competitive rates,” said Department of Utilities Director Marty Hanneman. “The Rate Advisory Commission provides an avenue for residents to actively participa

A local group that watches public funds hopes to take its complaints over utilities rates to the polls.  The Sacramento County Taxpayers League's new ballot proposal seeks to stop a 9.2 percent city utilities rate increase scheduled to start in July.  The proposal follows a Jan. 6 grand jury report saying that the city’s use of utilities funds may conflict with Proposition 218, a state law that dictates how city funds should be used.  The grand jury report claims that money collected from residents' utility bills may have been used to fund other municipal programs. Prop. 218 states that cities can use funds from utilities bills in one way: to cover the costs of delivering utilities servi

The City Council held a contentious discussion Tuesday night about a recent Sacramento County grand jury report that claims the city may have broken state law. The Jan. 6 grand jury report states that the city is not adhering to Proposition 218, a state law regulating city funds. Councilwoman Lauren Hammond made tough remarks to Marty Hanneman, director of the Utilities Department. “I have no confidence in your cost allocations,” Hammond said. She expressed the view that utilities monies over the years have not been managed properly. “We need to come clean and start over,” she said. Utilites Department spokeswoman Jessica Hess notes that the department will address 10 possible Prop. 2

Choosing bins for green waste instead of on-the-street pickup saves each eligible resident $3 per month. But if residents want to put their green waste into bins instead of on the street for pickup, it’s not guaranteed they’ll receive bins from the city. That’s because the city is using two separate green-waste pickup systems and bins are not currently available to all residents. However, residents can use the following information to encourage the city to bring bins to their neighborhood. How do I tell the city I want to use bins? Call 311 to inform the city that you want to put your green waste in containers, Utilities Department spokeswoman Jessica Hess said. You can also make a requ

When the Utilities Department recently explored changes to Sacramento’s green waste pickup system, some residents expressed intense opposition to scrapping on-the-street pickup. They said they prefer that method to the use of bins. The city's current methods of green waste pickup are on-the-street pickup and a voluntary bin system. Councilman Steve Cohn and a staffer for Councilman Rob Fong said recently that they support giving all residents the choice of bins over on-the-street pickup. Residents can continue on-the-street pickup and the following information will help. How to opt-out A city employee may leave a green waste bin at your house if your neighborhood has been selected for