The Ripon City Council approved an urgency ordinance last week to adjust the water service late fees to delinquent customers.

This is an amendment to the Water Service System chapter of the Ripon Municipal Code. Elected leaders gave their OK at the Feb. 10 special session on a 10 percent late fee incurred – this would be during any two months during that 24-month period that concludes March 2022 – would then be adjusted down to a 2 percent late fee.

City Clerk Lisa Roos this involves an estimated 2,100 customers, during the moratorium that began in March 2020.

That’s about the time when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order which prevented public agencies from disconnecting water services for nonpayment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The water shutoff moratorium was to remain in place until Sept. 30, 2021 but that deadline was extended until Dec. 31, 2021 through SB 155,” she said at the Feb. 8 meeting.

Because of that, City of Ripon staff has not been able to utilize the normal process to shut-off water service – usually within two months for nonpayment on delinquent balances.

“During this time of the moratorium, delinquent account holders were only notified each month of the outstanding balance and late fees, but no other action could be taken by staff,” Roos said.

Since the new year, City staff has been working on plans to transition from the moratorium to the normal process of disconnecting services while collecting outstanding balances.

The city recently sent letters to delinquent account holders on outstanding balances and the date they must pay or enter into an Amortization Agreement, Roos noted.

Further action would more than likely take place in April.

The State, Roos added, is offering a Water Arrearages Program that would pay the City of Ripon for any outstanding water enterprises fund balances delinquent as of June 2021, in turn, providing a partial benefit to those customers with delinquent balances.

According to municipal code (pre-COVID), Roos said that the 10 percent late fee is applied each month on outstanding balances.

“Under normal circumstances, this works out very well for the City of Ripon because of our shutoff process – the customer has to be current in order to have their water turned back on,” she said.

The late fees vary per customer.

In addition to the urgency ordinance, the city will apply for the Water Arrearages Program and look at COVID-19 grant money along with other such programs.