Davis City Council Meeting - January 6, 2026: Ceremonial Presentations, LAFCo, and Solid Waste Fee Increase Approved
Davis City Council Meeting - January 6, 2026: Ceremonial Presentations, LAFCo, and Solid Waste Fee Increase Approved
The Davis City Council met on January 6, 2026, with Mayor Donna Neville presiding. Vice Mayor Gloria Partida was absent due to illness. The meeting included ceremonial swearing-in of the mayor and proclamations, public comments, a consent calendar, an informational presentation from Yolo LAFCo, and a public hearing on solid waste utility rates which resulted in approval of a rate increase.
Ceremonial Presentations
- Swearing-in of Mayor Donna Neville for 2026 and recognition of Vice Mayor Partida.
- Proclamation honoring Bapu Vaitla for his service as Mayor in 2025.
- Proclamation honoring Terry Jue for nearly 36 years of dedicated service as a senior civil engineer in Public Works.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Nyuan: Expressed concerns about being evicted from her mobile home, alleging fraud and asking about city resources for temporary housing.
- Spear: Urged the city to resist federal policies targeting marginalized communities, citing violations of domestic and international law.
- Beth Bourne: Presented a resolution criticizing outgoing Mayor Bapu Vaitla’s policies on transgender issues, free speech, and child safety; called him a bully.
- (During LAFCo) Nyuan: Questioned the LAFCo map and claimed ownership of property.
- (During Solid Waste hearing) Elaine Roberts Musser: Supported the rate increase but criticized the council for merging the Utilities Commission into the Fiscal Commission, eroding consumer confidence.
- William Schoen: Opposed the rate increase, arguing the city extended Recology’s contract without competitive bidding and urged a competitive procurement process.
- Eric Davis: Stated the increase was justified by a rate study showing an 18.8% entitlement; suggested delayed action led to a larger increase.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously (3-0) the following routine items:
- A. Construction contract for Public Works Corporation Yard Building A roof replacement.
- B. Construction contract for Fire Station 32 improvements.
- C. Task Order 4 for Transportation Development Impact Fee nexus study.
- D. Continuing emergency contract with Eaton Drilling for cleaning Well #33.
- E. Commission minutes from Human Relations Commission meetings.
Discussion Items
- Yolo LAFCo Presentation (Item 5): Deputy Executive Officer JD Trebec and Executive Officer Christine Crawford provided an overview of LAFCo’s role in discouraging urban sprawl, preserving open space, and efficiently providing government services. They described municipal service reviews, sphere of influence boundaries, and LAFCo’s work with Davis on annexations. Council members asked about financial ability reviews and the transparency scorecard. No action taken.
- Public Hearing: Solid Waste Utility Fee Proposition 218 (Item 6): Deputy Director Adrienne Heinig and Assistant City Manager Stan Gryczko presented the need for a rate adjustment due to rising costs and a depleted reserve. They stated that 68 written protests were received, far below the 7,581 needed for a majority protest. The proposed changes included modified cart sizes and clarified billing. Staff recommended a 15% increase in 2026 and further annual increases over the following three years to maintain fund solvency. Council discussed the impact on vulnerable residents and the possibility of general fund subsidies. After public comments, the council voted to approve the resolution.
- AB1234 Reporting and Long Range Calendar (Item 7): No reports of meetings attended at city expense. City Manager announced upcoming council meetings on January 13 and the following week. A public commenter noted ballot clogging issues related to Measure J.
Key Outcomes
- Solid Waste Fee Increase Approved (3-0): The council approved the resolution enacting modification of solid waste service fees effective February 1, 2026, with Vice Mayor Partida absent. The rate increase was adopted as recommended by staff.
- Consent Calendar Approved unanimously.
- Next Steps: Council requested information on increasing low-income and senior subsidies for utilities; staff will provide cost estimates. The waste hauling contract procurement process will be discussed starting August 2026.
- No other formal votes were taken.
Note: The exact percentage breakdown of the rate increase (e.g., 15% in 2026, then 6.5% for three years) was mentioned by a public commenter but not explicitly confirmed by staff in the transcript; staff emphasized the need to cover rising costs.
Meeting Transcript
Great good evening, everyone, and welcome to the January 6, 2026 meeting of the Davis City Council. Welcome to the new year, everyone. Um, we're gonna start. First of all, I'm not gonna take roll call, but I'm going to acknowledge that my colleagues are here at the dais, with the exception that Vice Mayor Partita is unable to be here this evening due to illness. So we will miss her this evening. Um our next item of business is just to approve our agenda. Is there a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. Moved by Chapman, second by Dios, and all in favor of approval of the agenda say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposition or any abstentions? Seeing none, the agenda is approved unanimously by those present. Excellent. So we're gonna move on next to some ceremonial presentations. We have three presentations here this evening. Uh the first is to welcome mayor, vice mayor for the twenty twenty-six year. The second is a proclamation honoring uh Bapu Vitla for her service as mayor in twenty twenty-five, and finally a proclamation honoring Terry Jew for over thirty-five years of service to the city of Davis. And so we're gonna start, I believe. Um I need to be sworn in, and so we're gonna do that very, very quickly and unceremoniously. And so I'm gonna come down to the mic and be sworn in quickly. Okay. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California. That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California. Against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California. And that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California. That I take this obligation freely. Without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. So if anyone I'd like to open it up for colleague comments and any comments from members of the Oh, actually, I'm gonna hold public comment, but if anyone here on the dais wants to offer some comments. Thank you, Mayor Neville, first time saying that. Congratulations. Uh appreciate you uh being here and sitting in the seat. Um, thank you. Um I appreciate um having worked with you. Not that you're leaving or going anywhere, these are always kind of a little bit of an awkward situation, like you're stepping down and not coming back after this evening, which is uh, you know, we have another year with you at least. So, but thank you for all your work uh when you're sitting in that seat. I know it's not something that is easy. I know that you always did not want to be there or enjoy being there, but I appreciate um your leadership. I appreciate um your desire and your commitment to um pushing the envelope on things. Um I think that's something that we all need sometimes. We kind of get into the normal routine, and I appreciate the way that you challenge us when we sit up here. And I think um you being mayor and you being up here has made um made us a better council and made the city a better place. I really appreciate uh your work and your commitment to the city of Davis. Thank you. Good, good, and and I'm sorry that Gloria's not here, and I'll just add to um same same as Josh's comments too. I think we all know how hard this is, and we appreciate your work.
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