Remember the frustrating process by which the city changed the rate mechanism on sewer charges? So they could raise the rates anytime they wanted?
Well next week Council will discuss a change that will further restrict your right to have any voice in these rate increases – they are changing the procedure to eliminate your right to sue if you were left out of the rate protest. Meaning, if you threw that ballot out thinking it was junk mail, or didn’t get around to sending it in time, didn’t understand it, didn’t hear about it, etc, you lose your right to protest further rate increases.
Read the staff report, these people want you out of this process.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
In addition, by requiring the submission of written objections as a prerequisite to litigation, the procedures may reduce potential legal risk and strengthen the administrative record supporting future rate adjustments.
Juanita, the wording on this new opposition protocol is unclear. The real reason seems to be to make taxpayers navigate a paper chase minefield to file a complaint and protect the city from lawsuits. See the wording the city attorney snuck into the last line of the proposed complaint process.
Rules should be made by the council to serve and protect the taxpayer, not money-hungry city employees, especially the unaccountable CPD, the largest expense in the city budget, and their ever-expanding arsenal.
What is clear to me is that the city attorney, staff, and some feckless council members who sign legal settlements and agreements without reading them are making it harder for taxpayers to effectively oppose tax hikes.
Thank you so much Scott, you hit the nail on the head.
“ the wording on this new opposition protocol is unclear. The real reason seems to be to make taxpayers navigate a paper chase minefield to file a complaint and protect the city from lawsuits.”
Yes, this is just further protection for people who are already “indemnified” against any future accountability for their really poorly made, unintelligent, badly advised actions.
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Rules should be made by the council to serve and protect the taxpayer, not money-hungry city employees,
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This is the core of the problem. Council and staff are self-serving and self-interested and out to take advantage of poorly educated and badly misled voters.
How do you educate voters who have been raised in California schools? By self-serving self-interested teachers and school boards? How do you get people to act in their own interests instead of standing by wringing their hands, throwing shit on anybody who tries to tell them to READ THE FUCKING REPORTS AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BEFORE IT HAPPENS!
I myself am going to be making a trip to Oregon soon, gonna buy stuff.