Laserfiche WebLink
Page 4 of 7 <br /> <br /> <br />Staff Recommendation <br />As proposed in the current water rate study, Zone 7’s fee (variable and fixed) is 100 percent <br />passed through to residents. Staff recommends the City update its water bill discount <br />program, effective January 1, 2026, with the following criteria, consistent with the current <br />water rate study and other Tri-Valley cities’ practices: <br />1. Set a single discount rate of 30 percent, to be applied to low-income and senior <br />residential account holders for Pleasanton and Zone 7 Fixed and Variable charges for <br />Water, and Pleasanton Fixed charges for Sewer. <br />2. Update the City’s eligibility criteria for qualified residents, both low-income and senior <br />account holders, who use 24 units CCF or less per water bill cycle to correspond to the <br />assumptions and analysis in the water rate model. <br />3. Clarify that the senior discount will be based on additional eligibility requirements <br />described in items 4, 5 and 6 below. <br />4. Set eligibility for the discount as available to households that participate in any of the <br />following programs: <br />o Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance <br />o CalFresh SNAP <br />o CalWORKS/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) <br />o CARE (gas & electric company discount) <br />o Head Start Income Eligible (Tribal only) <br />o Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) <br />o Medicaid/Medi-Cal for Families A & B <br />o National School Lunch Program (NSLP) <br />o Supplemental Security Income (SSI) <br />o Tribal TANF <br />o Women, Infants, & Children Program (WIC) <br />o Medicaid/Medi-Cal (under age 65) <br />o Medicaid/Medi-Cal (age 65 and over) <br />o Supplemental Security Income (SSI) <br />o Low-income property tax exemptions through the Alameda County Assessor’s <br />Office <br /> <br />5. Given Pleasanton's significantly higher cost of living and median household income <br />compared to much of California, many residents with limited income may not qualify for <br />existing State or Federal low-income assistance programs. Staff recommends expanding the <br />discount programs to also include eligibility based on household annual gross income of 80 <br />percent or below of the Adjusted Median Income’s (AMI), established and approved by the <br />Page 177 of 264