LAKEPORT
Lakeport Council hears update on delinquent utility bills
The Lakeport City Council held a public hearing during their Tuesday, July 18, 2023, regular meeting focused on delinquent utility accounts.
The accounts identified by the Lakeport Finance Department have been delinquent since May 31, 2023. The city is required to notify the delinquent account holders and give them an opportunity to pay their delinquent bills.
Lakeport Assistant City Manager and Finance Director Nick Walker said that at the start of this process there was about $40,000 in delinquent bills. Since notices went out, the amount has dropped to about $14,000.
“This shows that the process is working, and people are paying their bills,” Walker said. “Last year there was about $10,000 in delinquent utility bills when a report was sent to the county.”
Utility bills and delinquency notices are mailed monthly. The final notice was sent to property owners on July 6, 2023.
The delinquent charges are for water, sewage and solid waste utility bills.
The council approved the resolution on the delinquent utility bills unanimously.
In other council business, the city approved to change fees collected for the Water and Sewer Expansion Fee Program.
Walker said the city contracted Willdan Financial Services to prepare a water and sewer expansion fee study in June 2022. He added that the main objective of this study was to update the water and sewer expansion fees to reflect the cost of providing services to new or expanded development.
Walker clarified that these are not the water and fee rates that are collected monthly. The fees that are collected are for those who are building residential or commercial buildings that are looking to connect to the city’s infrastructure.
“The last time a study like this was conducted was in 2007. The recommendation is to update this every five years,” Walker said.
The next city council meeting will take place on Tuesday Aug. 1, 2023 at 6 p.m. at the Lakeport City Council Chambers.
—Zack Jordan
SACRAMENTO
Notice of hearing and business meeting
On Thursday, July 27, 2023, the Little Hoover Commission will conduct a public hearing on the implementation of the California Master Plan for Aging beginning at 9:30 a.m. At approximately noon, the Commission will conduct a business meeting before resuming the hearing. Both meetings will be held in the Rosenfeld Hearing Room of the Warren-Alquist State Energy Building, located at 1516 9th Street in Sacramento, 95814. The meetings also will be accessible at 414 East Eighth Street in Traverse City, Michigan; and at 15 Henry Street in Southampton, New York; and via Zoom.
Members of the public can attend the hearing in person or listen to the hearing by joining online or by phone. Click the URL to join online: https://bit.ly/43Y8XyJ. To join via phone, call toll free from the U.S. by dialing (888) 788-0099. The webinar ID is 932 9462 6717. The password is 047433. We highly recommend members of the public access the hearing through the Zoom app. Please visit the Zoom website for instructions on how to download the Zoom app onto a computer or smartphone.
Public comments will be heard at the end of the public hearing and at the start of the business meeting, and will be limited to three minutes per speaker and to a total of 30 minutes. Witnesses may be taken out of order to accommodate speakers and to maintain a quorum. The hearing or business meeting may be cancelled without notice.
If you need reasonable accommodation due to a disability, please contact the Little Hoover Commission at (916) 445-2125 or littlehoover@lhc.ca.gov by Thursday, July 20, 2022.
—Submitted
WASHINGTON
New Study: More than 2.5 million California small businesses sell online
Today, the Connected Commerce Council (3C) released a new study showing that more than 2.5 million California small businesses (roughly 60% of the state’s small businesses) sell products online. The survey of 1,500 California-based small businesses conducted by the Data Catalyst Institute (DCI) highlights the importance of e-commerce to the Golden State’s small businesses and economy.
“With the growth of e-commerce, small businesses are no longer confined to their local geographies or to the whims of retail stores that control access to customers,” said David Audretsch, Professor of Economics at Indiana University and Editor-in-Chief of Small Business Economics. “Web stores, online marketplaces, and click-to-buy social media sales are empowering California small businesses in ways traditional retail cannot match, to the tune of $297 billion in revenue last year. It is only a matter of time before all small businesses sell online.”
Additional findings include:
- 74% of small businesses that sell online expect this year’s online sales revenue to be higher than last year’s.
- 99% of small businesses say digital technologies are important to how they sell products, with 85% saying they are very important.
“E-commerce has truly leveled the playing field for small businesses, so a small card games manufacturer from San Francisco can compete with Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley,” said Rob Retzlaff, 3C Executive Director. “As customer habits shift, and people look to shop online more and more, it’s vital that online selling remains accessible and affordable to small businesses.”
About 3C:
The Connected Commerce Council is a non-profit organization with a single goal: to promote small businesses’ access to digital technologies and tools. 3C provides small businesses with access to the market’s most effective digital tools available, provides coaching to optimize growth and efficiency, and cultivates a policy environment that considers and respects the interests of today’s small businesses.
—Submitted
