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Even a magnitude 6.4 earthquake couldn’t stop the Eureka City Council from missing its last meeting of the year! Come hell or high water – or trembling Earth – the council was dead set on swearing in its newest members and giving Mayor Susan Seaman and Councilmember Natalie Arroyo a proper send-off.

Before getting into the heartfelt goodbyes on Tuesday evening, the council approved a resolution to accept the results of the recent General Election and approve the appointments of Leslie Castellano for the First Ward, G. Mario Fernandez for the Third Ward, Renee Conteras de Loach for the Fifth Ward and Kim Bergel as Mayor. The motion passed unanimously with Councilmember Kati Moulton absent.

Before passing the torch to her successor, soon-to-be Supervisor Arroyo took a moment to thank each of her peers and city staff for their friendship and support during her time on the council.

“Everyone [has been] very patient with me and my occasional long-windedness,” she laughed. “I really do feel that there is a sense of love amongst city employees and the city council. A love and a deep respect that doesn’t come easily to public agencies, or any workplace really. …That doesn’t mean that we always agree with each other! In fact, we’ve disagreed with each other in, I think, a very productive and effective way. And that’s really important too.”

Likewise, Seaman fondly recalled her time as mayor, from the return of Tuluwat to the Wiyot Tribe to the recent Sara Bareilles concert at Halvorsen Park.

“Through it all, I got to work with this amazing, wonderful team on council and I don’t take that for granted,” she said. “It felt like lightning in a bottle to find this kind of synergy. I expect it to continue into the new council. … I just hope that you guys get to keep this momentum going because it’s just really been a treat, and you get a lot of stuff done when people are willing to work together.”

Turning to Mayor-Elect Kim Bergel, Seaman said she felt comfort in leaving the mayorship “in the hands of somebody who is so capable, so kind and ready to carry the culture that we’ve developed here.”

Councilmember Castellano thanked both Seaman and Arroyo for their service to the city as well as their collective capacity to “embrace change while also acknowledging that our community is all of us and we need to work together.”

Similarly, Councilmember Scott Bauer thanked Arroyo and Seaman for helping to show our community “what public service means.”

“I think we get a lot of we get beat up a lot and, Mayor, you keep it cool as my heart’s pounding out of my chest because I’m getting heated,” he laughed. “And I respect that so much, to be able to operate with poise and dignity through a lot of trying situations. … And Natalie, I think our loss is the county’s gain. … You’re perfect for it and the county is so lucky. We all are lucky.”

Bergel also expressed her appreciation to her outgoing peers, noting that Seaman will be “a tough act to follow.” 

“I’m so looking forward to my new job and I’m so looking forward to reaching out to you for some tidbits and in those kinds of things,” she said. “It’s been really just a delight and … what a gift it has been to work with the last couple of councils that we’ve had. Everybody is respectful and concerned about our city and not their own motives. I’m just really grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to work with people on that level.”

With all the mushy stuff out of the way, Seaman invited Bergel and her family to approach the dais for the swearing-in ceremony. Shortly thereafter, Mayor Bergel swore in Castellano and the council’s newest members, G. Mario Fernandez and Renee Contreras de Loach, who appeared virtually.

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Local Emergency Resolution

Before adjourning for the evening, City Manager Miles Slattery asked the council to ratify a local emergency declaration in response to Tuesday’s earthquake. The resolution would provide a path for the city to get reimbursed for costs associated with the emergency response, Slattery explained.

“Before I get into it, I really want to thank all of our staff – the response was incredible,” he said. “We had literally all hands on deck. … It really took a village to make this happen today and I’ve received a lot of personal phone calls about how impressive our presence was out there in making people feel comfortable.”

Eleven residential endured significant damage from the earthquake, Slattery said. Four commercial buildings have been “red-tagged,” meaning the structures are uninhabitable for the time being.

The council unanimously approved the emergency resolution in a 4-0 vote with Councilmember Moulton absent.

Water and Sewer Rate Hike

It looks as though Eureka residents will pay a bit more for water and sewer services in the new year. 

The council approved the contentious water and sewer rate increase during a special meeting on Monday night. The rate increase seeks to raise the City’s water and sewer rates incrementally over the next five years to cover improvements to the City’s aging infrastructure. 

The last rate study, which was completed by NBS Consulting in 2016, implemented yearly rate increases through 2021. The City retained the same firm to perform the 2022 rate study for both utilities, assess alternative rate structures and review how costs are allocated to different customer classes. 

How much will your utility rates increase? Water rates are expected to go up by eight to ten percent each year for the next five years, for a total increase of 58 percent, NBS consultant Jordan Taylor explained to the council. Sewer rates will go up by about four to ten percent per year for the five years for a total increase of 34 percent.

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Castellano asked whether the City could cash in on grant funding to help pay for these infrastructure improvements to ease the burden on ratepayers, adding, “I don’t imagine anyone loves raising water and sewer rates.”

Public Works Director Brian Gerving said the staff has not yet identified any grant opportunities that would apply to local jurisdictions but said, “potentially in future fiscal years.” 

Arroyo hinted at “something that could help” ratepayers that will be discussed at a future council meeting but said, “it’s not going to come before council ‘til the next meeting.”

Each of the council members acknowledged the downsides of the rate increase but, ultimately, felt the increase was an essential component in maintaining city infrastructure.

“It’s a bummer that the can has been kicked for decades but … water is life and sewer systems are critical to not having things like cholera, all these horrible diseases that struck cities centuries ago,” Bauer said. “We’re past that and we have really old infrastructure that needs to be upgraded. It’s unfortunate that we all have to bear the burden of that but I don’t see any alternative.”

The council passed the motion in a 5-0 vote.