Yakima City Council Special Meeting on Utility Billing Practices - August 25, 2026

This special meeting of the Yakima City Council focused exclusively on a discussion of the city's utility billing practices. Staff from the Finance and Utility Customer Services departments presented an overview of current billing procedures, identified challenges (aging software, deposit shortfalls, stormwater billing transition), and outlined potential improvements such as monthly billing, electronic bill incentives, and software replacement. Councilmembers and public commenters raised concerns about landlord liability for tenant accounts, delayed shutoffs, and the need for better communication with property managers. No formal action was taken; the council directed staff to conduct a community survey and return with options for policy changes.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Tony Courcy, City resident, spoke about stormwater utilities and referenced a meeting with a university regarding payment of utilities. He expressed frustration that the city had not responded to his prior questions on utilities.
• Avery Greg, City resident and President of the Yakima Valley Landlords Association, provided data and suggestions: reported that roughly 30% of non-owner accounts are delinquent versus about 15% of owner accounts; that collections recovery is around 60%; and that a 45-day cutoff on a bi-monthly bill effectively amounts to a 3.5-month lag from usage. He urged the city to collect from the person who used the service and to stop treating property owners as the backup collections department. He supported auto-pay, third-party billing, better notice, and prompt-pay discounts.

Discussion Items

• Presentation by Director of Finance & Budget Craig Warner and Utility Customer Services Manager Anabel Chavez covering current practices: the city manages approximately 33,000 utility accounts for five utilities (water, wastewater, refuse, irrigation, stormwater) on a bi-monthly billing schedule. About 930 accounts (2.8%) were eligible for shutoff as of late August 2026, with 525 being late on only one cycle. Door hangers have improved collections. The city spends about $200,000 annually on paper mailings.
• Stormwater billing transition: Yakima County will stop supporting stormwater billing on property tax bills in 2027. The city must assume responsibility and will need to update billing software or procedures. Staff recommended possibly billing stormwater with irrigation on a bi-monthly basis. Council discussed the need to clearly communicate that this is a change in payment method, not a new fee.
• Software issues: The current utility billing software (Cayenta) is over 30 years old, requires expensive custom modifications, and has bugs. A replacement would be a multi-year, multi-million-dollar project but is necessary to support modern features (e.g., e-billing, app-based account management, monthly billing). Councilmember Glenn suggested prioritizing a needs analysis before purchasing new software.
• Deposits and tenant accounts: Deposits are currently only required for tenants and owners with prior delinquencies, but deposit amounts are insufficient to cover two months of usage plus potential late fees. Council explored a hybrid model where a deposit would limit owner liability, with accounts closed after deposit exhaustion. Four of 140 surveyed cities (79%) allow tenant accounts, and 99% notify owners of tenant delinquency.
• Other issues: