What is the Sewer Treatment Variable charge on my Utility bill?
The sewer treatment variable charge reflects your household’s actual sewer use. Your average “base period” is established for your residence by using your winter water consumption figures. The current variable rate is $0.84 per unit. Your established sewer rate, a combination of fixed and variable charges, remains in effect for one year. Each July, base periods are recalculated.
What is the Sewer Treatment Fixed charge on my utility bill?
Your bill for sewer service is made up of two components: a fixed and a variable charge. The fixed charge helps to cover ongoing costs for sewer collection, treatment, and discharge. The City of Vacaville’s current residential fixed rate is $113.22 for a single-family household and $90.58 for multi-family households, bi-monthly.
What is the Basic Service Charge for water on my Utility bill?
Some costs are ongoing regardless of the amount of water consumed. These are “fixed costs”. The basic service charge is to help cover the fixed costs of our water system which include customer service, facilities maintenance, system readiness, distribution system upkeep and water quality. Your basic service charge is determined by the size of your water connection (meter).
Where can I pay my utility bill and what sources of payment do you accept?
You can pay your water and sewer bill at City Hall (Finance Division) located at 650 Merchant Street, Vacaville. You can also pay over the phone with MasterCard, Visa or Discover by calling 449-5128. The easiest way to have your bill paid on time is to sign up for E-Billing through the City's website or by clicking here:
How do I get water and sewer service put in my name?
For your convenience, requests for connecting service will be accepted online. You may also come in person to the Finance counter, City Hall, 650 Merchant Street to submit a request. The City of Vacaville requires one business day notice to connect service. In order to connect service the next business day, applications must be received by 12:00 pm Pacific time. Please be advised that basic service fees for water and sewer will apply effective the day your service begins. You are responsible for service until you request to have service stopped.
Your utility bill is due upon receipt and will become past due if not paid by the delinquent date on the bill. A delinquent fee of 10% or $10, whichever is greater, will be added to your account if it becomes past due.
How are the CFD special tax rates calculated?
The CFD special tax rates are calculated at the time of formation based on the cost of providing public safety services, less revenue generated by the development of the property. The net unfunded cost is used to establish the CFD special tax rates.
How can I tell if a home I want to buy will have special taxes assessed?
Current, comprehensive tax information is available through the Solano County Tax Assessor’s website by typing the home’s address into the search bar. Below, you will also find a link to an interactive map of the City’s current CFD boundaries detailing the properties/parcels within Vacaville’s CFD areas.
How long does the tax last?
The special taxes are levied annually as part of each parcel’s property tax bill and are subject to an annual inflation adjustment. The taxes do not expire, but continue in perpetuity.
How much will this tax increase?
A CPI adjustment is applied to the CFD tax rate annually. For CFDs 8-12 the City uses the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI series for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (CWURS49BSA0). For CFD 1 the CPI series adopted at formation and applied annually is All Urban Consumers San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (CUURS49BSA0). These data sets were chosen due to Vacaville's proximity to the regions included in the BLS analysis and Solano County's status as a Bay Area County. Current year, and historical data, for both data sets is available at the BLS website.
How was I notified my property is in a CFD?
When property is sold, the seller is responsible for providing a Notice of Special Tax to the buyer. This document is one of the many signed during the escrow process
What is a Community Facilities District?
A Community Facilities District, or CFD, is a special financing district that provides a mechanism for funding specific services. In Vacaville, CFDs are generally used to fund public safety services in areas that are added to the City and transitioning from vacant property to residential development.
What services do I receive in return for the CFD special taxes I pay?
The special taxes collected contribute to the funding of the additional police and fire services required to serve the property within the CFD.
Why do special tax rates vary from district to district?
The methodology used to set the tax rate at the time of formation varies by district. For example, CFD 1, which has the lowest special tax rate, was formed in the 1980s with the goal of funding 25% of the costs of Fire Station #74. Two of the latter districts: CFD 10 and CFD 11, which have the highest tax rates, were formed in late 2005/early 2006 and the tax rate was based on a requirement to pay the full cost of public safety services associated with development in those district boundaries.