When the City Council approved $7.4 million for design work to upgrade the city’s two water treatment plants on Thursday night, it inched forward on a long-term and costly project to overhaul the plants. Remodeling the city’s aging water treatment plants will take years of work, may cost about $150 million and could involve significant utilities fee hikes for property owners and businesses in Sacramento, according to an April 21 report by city staff. But the City Council and city staff agree that the treatment plants are so old that the remodel of the plants will be necessary. One of the city’s plants, located on the Sacramento River, was built in the 1920s. The other plant was built in

The city is changing the way it manages illegally dumped garbage after the city attorney’s office found that the city’s old program might have broken state law. The City Council agreed on Tuesday to make the city’s code division responsible for the city’s illegal dumping program, meaning the Utilities Department will no longer handle it. City Attorney Eileen Teichert’s office found that the city’s funding system for the program may have violated Proposition 218. That state law says that utilities fees from ratepayers must correspond to the costs of delivering the utilities services. “The city attorney’s office has determined that under Prop. 218, garbage rate revenues may not be used to

The heat is still on: Public controversy continues to surround claims that the city’s uses of utilities funds broke state law. In the latest development, the city plans to send written responses to claims made by the Sacramento County Grand Jury. In a Jan. 6 report, the Grand Jury argued that the city’s use of utilities dollars may overstep Proposition 218, a state law that guides the usage of city funds. 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 services, according to the report.

Mayor Kevin Johnson and City Councilman Robbie Waters praised City Manager Ray Kerridge, who announced yesterday that he was resigning on March 12, at a joint press conference Thursday. Without naming anyone in particular, Johnson and Waters both blamed other council members for the negative atmosphere at City Hall. The other council members did not attend the press conference. However, Joann Cummins, district director for Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy, attended the event. “I think the divisiveness has certainly played a role (in Kerridge’s decision),” Johnson said. He said he was concerned that the work environment could cause “great talent” to leave. Johnson also faulted himself for his

Utilities Department Director Marty Hanneman said Thursday that a new ballot proposal would hurt the city’s ability to provide utilities services. The Sacramento Taxpayers League has proposed a ballot measure that aims to block a 9.2 percent city utilities rate increase. Hanneman did not comment on the proposal Wednesday, saying through a spokeswoman that he had not yet read it. However, he sent a lengthy e-mailed response to The Sacramento Press Thursday. Read Hanneman’s response to the ballot proposal below: The Department of Utilities has the following response based upon an initial review of the proposed language. The City Attorney's Office and others are conducting additional revie

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

News Analysis City Manager Ray Kerridge oversees a city government that is struggling with major controversies in its Community Development and Utilities departments. Council members are reacting to claims in a Jan. 6 grand jury report that the city may be breaking Proposition 218, a state law that mandates how city funds are used. City officials are also confronting findings from an investigation into the department’s approval last year of 35 permits in a Natomas flood zone. The offices of the city attorney and city manager note in a recent report that the department broke federal rules by approving the permits. The report lists new issues, including possible violations of city planni

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

The fiery public debate over possible changes to the city of Sacramento’s green waste pickup system has changed course. The City Council was expected to decide in January whether to ask voters to use bins for their green waste. But it will not make a decision on the issue in the immediate future, according to Marty Hanneman, Utilities Department director. The issue of scrapping the on-the-street pickup system has been “pushed back on the table, on the back burner,” he said. For weeks, residents have been debating whether bins should be used instead of on-the-street green waste pickup. Recent reports from city staffers said a bin system would be cheaper and more environmentally responsib

The practice of dumping green waste on the street may become a thing of the past. The City Council will discuss a proposal Tuesday to ask voters if they want to place their piles of leaves in bins instead of in the street. The people of Sacramento banned bins in 1977. “On September 27, 1977, city of Sacramento voters passed Measure A, an initiative ordinance that prohibited the city from requiring containerized collection of yard and garden refuse (green waste),” according to a Utilities Department report that will be presented to the City Council Nov. 10. The department is asking the City Council if it wants to sponsor an initiative to overturn the ban on the bins. A city ordinance est