UKIAH, CA., 6/15/26 — The most commonly and passionately asked question that Ukiah Valley residents had for officials with the city of Ukiah at Thursday night’s annexation information workshop was, “Why annexation?”
City officials said at the meeting that the move would help Ukiah tap into a major source of state funding for water infrastructure improvements in the greater Ukiah area. Annexation would also shift some tax revenue from the county to the city, which would help pay for municipal services.
The proposed Ukiah annexation was first presented by city staff last year. If ultimately approved by the Local Agency Formation Commission, which oversees boundaries in the county, the proposal would pull areas north and south of Ukiah into the city limits.
Shannon Riley, deputy city manager, explained that another purpose of proposing annexation is planning ahead to help ensure the maintenance and improvement of infrastructure and services, including police service and water and road infrastructure.
“Annexation is not being proposed because we’re in some kind of crisis today,” Riley said at the meeting. “It’s being proposed because good government plans ahead, it aligns responsibility and representation and services before problems arise rather than after. The city of Ukiah has always taken a proactive approach to recognizing issues and potential issues, not just in Ukiah, but in our entire valley.”
Riley explained in an interview with The Mendocino Voice that, besides the eventual shift of some revenue of sales and property taxes from the county to the city in the areas that could be annexed, which would help pay for services, annexation is also meant to help secure substantial water infrastructure funding from the state.
Echoing what Ukiah City Councilmember Doug Crane explained at the meeting, Riley said later that the state has funding incentives for water districts that consolidate. The Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund was established by SB 200 in 2019 to help water systems provide an adequate and affordable supply of safe drinking water in both the near and long term. The fund’s expenditure plan prioritizes funding for districts collaborating to share infrastructure and resources.
Creating a more sustainable unified infrastructure system for the entire Ukiah Valley Water Authority is a goal behind Ukiah’s annexation proposal, according to Riley.
The Ukiah Valley Water Authority, a newly consolidated water management organization, was formed in 2024 partly for the purpose of securing similar state funding. It unifies the formerly independent water agencies of the city of Ukiah and Millview, Redwood Valley, Calpella and Willow to “improve the coordination of water resources, reduce costs through shared infrastructure and maintain local control over water services in our region,” according to city documents.
One of the public questions at the meeting was whether water rates would go up with annexation. Riley said that water rates and annexation are “basically unrelated.” She also said that rates are based on each district’s unique conditions including infrastructure and debt.
Phil Williams, special counsel to the city of Ukiah for water matters, said at the meeting that water rates for the districts are approved by individual district boards based on comprehensive rate assessments for each district and their unique conditions and needs. The rate assessments happen every three to five years and map out scheduled annual rate adjustments.
Riley said the state funds, if received, would pay for infrastructure upgrades that would help increase water availability for the entire valley, the cost of which she said might otherwise be paid for by rate increases. That means the funding could help stabilize water rates throughout the valley.
Grants for water infrastructure come along regularly, but not for dollar amounts close to the nearly $100 million the water authority could get from the regional coordination facilitated by annexation, according to Riley.
She also said the grant money won’t be available forever. Right now, the water authority is potentially eligible for about $16 million in planning grants and $75 million for improvements to be implemented.
“That’s money that doesn’t have to be charged to the ratepayers,” Riley said. “If we don’t get that money, eventually those repairs are going to need to be made and will have to be paid by the ratepayers, so that could lead to really significant rate increases.”
Get the grant money to improve fire safety and community.
Reduce management in water districts by combining authority
Lower the rates
The rates will never be lowered. Nothing ever gets lowered. They get your money, then say “geez…I know we just increased your rates, but due to unforseen economic conditions and the need to plan for the future to keep our community SAFE!! we need to raise them again.” and the cycle will repeat until people refuse to live here. Then all these agencies will say “due to declining revenue, we need to raise rates”.
It is all about money.
The costs of not being part of a larger water district is going to be staggering compared to the costs of being part of a large water district. (Especially with PG&E pulling the plug on the Dam)
Source: trust me bro
Don’t trust me, look at the slowly disappearing vineyards to see the cheap subsidized water days are over. Time to build water infrastructure like every other civilization has done to carry on.
I agree with consolidation but not under the City of Ukiah who’s shown their penchant for gold plating everything then raising rates to pay for it all. Moreover, combining water districts is apart and separate from expanding City limits.
The vineyards are a casualty of a poor wine market. This being said it is the vineyard owners more than anyone who have been building out their water storage capacities
Keep in mind the city of Ukiah has successfully implemented the recycling water system prior to all these mergers in smaller water districts. It is not uncommon for cities to annex the areas where they already manage the utilities. It makes sense. The city of Ukiah is instrumental in making this all happen. It also makes sense to take advantage of grants as one cohesive unit instead of a bunch under funded smaller utilities. Hopland’s water district is a prime example of the struggle of going at it alone.
Little by little, they will be money-grabbing, just wait and see.
The key question becomes what is the meaning of “…regional coordination facilitated by annexation” as related to Water Agency application for grants? Tell me why annexation is necessary for grant application. Additionally, I’d like to know why a cash poor Mendocino County should give up areas that generate substantial tax revenue.
I wish I could tell you why, but it sure seems like it’s just easier to bribe and control when there’s a few large organizations than a hundred smaller ones. We’ve seen time and time again in the business world that consolidation leads to poorer quality and domination of a market, which makes it easier to raise prices for less product. My guess is that wealthy individuals in Agriculture and Tech are behind this. It’s a conspiracy theory, I know. But when you’re surrounded by open corruption and conspiracies every day, you start to see it everywhere.
I do not trust them. They are pushing hard for this. I don’t know why the public just doesn’t go flat out crazy. Costs already are about all a lot of people can take as it is.
The city already spends lots of money on projects most residents don’t even want and turn a deaf ear to anything to the contrary. I don’t want to ever give them a plugged nickel.
If anything cut the pork!
City residences voted for measure Y back in 2016 and the city has been successful at getting grants to repair and remodel large sections of arterial streets with Caltrans and state funding. I would say it has been successful and not wasteful at all. Not to mention high speed internet access throughout the city has been improved.
Nary a mention about other issues related to annexation, like taxes, fees, and other, to fund an increased bureaucracy which will eventually happen. A lie of omission is still a lie …
Ukiah has taken over Hopland water. They have raised our rates 345% over 5 years. 45% of this money will go to Ukiah “administration “.
Salary’s and retirements of department heads, (not the rank and file employees) desperately need these funds.
Ukiah needs to publish ALL department head’s salaries.
Ukiah valley water authority has not absorbed the hopland water district. Hopland water did raise their rates due to much needed infrastructure upgrades but has nothing to do with Ukiah Valley.
Salaries are posted for Mendocino County and city of Ukiah on Transparent California on any ordinary Google search. You will find Mendocino County has far higher wage earners and much more numerous higher wage earners than city of Ukiah.
“Urbanist” is wrong, as far as I can tell. Per https://cityofukiah.com/uvwa/
As a newly consolidated water management organization, we are committed to providing efficient and reliable water services to residents and businesses within the greater Ukiah Valley. The formation of this joint powers authority (JPA) unifies the formerly independent water agencies:
City of Ukiah
Millview County Water District
Redwood Valley County Water District
Calpella County Water District
Willow County Water District
Nothing I said was inaccurate. Please look up your own sources.
Hopland water district has not been absorbed by the UV water district. Fact.
I paid an attorney to do a PRR (Public Records Request) on City and Water District management salaries but the City claimed no records of any pay communication exist since around 2010.
Ross – Transparent CA will have all the information you need if you are seeking wage information.
As a current city resident driving and walking around town, the lack of pride and upkeep within the current city limits by the city of ukiah is disgraceful. Before you get us bigger, why don’t you lead the way in pride of ownership within your current foot print. The weeds growing in gutters and sidewalk cracks around the convention center, the rear parking lot there, the front yard of city hall are just a few examples. The planters at the south east corner of the Todd Grove park are nothing but weeds. The things you plant in the new State St. and Gobbi St. planters and corner areas are too tall and block traffic visability. McGarvy Park is a travesty, the pathway is so buckled and wees popping up in the cracks, the abandoned fountain structure, shameful. And it is within view of city hall windows. Am I the only one noticing this? The weeds along the railtrail, particularly right outside the current city yard by the airport, one match and that will go up like the 4th of July. You should be setting the standard for the city, yet you can’t/won’t even take pride in caretaking the footprint you already have. No annexation til you prove you are worthy!
Ukiah Valley Fire authority did clear the rail trail areas of excess foliage and not long ago (March 2026).
Everything in this comment here is babble. I’m sure you would be complaining if the city remodeled the city hall building and how they wasted money on it. Complainers are going to complain.
Ukiah needs to grow.
No it does not. It’s a town with almost no reason to exist anymore, other than the fact that people already live here. It produces nothing, it provides nothing, it pushes young people away and courts retired boomers from the bay area. It’s a retirement community and everyone else in town are just there to serve them.
I just stayed in a south bay city for 2 months. It was wonderful. Services galore at competitive prices, events and things to do all the time, jobs, doctors of all kinds. Ukiah sucks so bad in comparison, it makes me sad. The young people leave cause it’s boring here, there’s no jobs and no specialist doctors of any kind. I have friends who just left ukiah cause there child needs occupational therapy and there’s none here.
Sounds like Ukiah growing at least would open opportunity for new businesses and services to exist and given relevance to the town and county.
I agree.
If you look at the business growth that has occurred over the last ten years or so it has taken place on the periphery of Ukiah. Almost like business owners seek out property outside the city limits.
Oh, so the county is the culprit of sprawl, you say? and tiny 5×2 sq miles that has stayed the same since the 1980s. Ukiah has what like 6-7 grocery stores, 2 major hardware stores, one multi-national wholesaler, several known fast food chains, and soon to be the only bowling alley in the county. I would say Ukiah is doing quite a bit for being on such a small piece of land surrounded by botched county polices.
“It unifies the formerly independent water agencies of the city of Ukiah and Millview, Redwood Valley, Calpella and Willow to ‘improve the coordination of water resources, reduce costs through shared infrastructure and maintain local control over water services in our region,’
Funny, because when you took Hopland into your greedy organization, my rates went UP. The real answer is that it makes it easier for a few people to grift, like EVERYTHING ELSE TODAY. They will be endlessly raising our rates to account for those age-old excuses: “Future-proofing”, “inflation due to COVID”, “safety and access”. All buzzwords you see every single time an organization is asking you to spend even more.
Vineyards and the cannabis industry are dying, which means less water being used. Do you think your rates will go down? Don’t hold your breath.
Hopland is still an independent agency and the rates going up are due to infrastructure needs for the hopland water district. UV has nothing to do with your Hopland water bill.
Because drinking water is becoming harder to get, it’s becoming more expensive to extract and distribute. We are lucky that the California‘s Water Board has been pro-active by establishing a plan to help its communities deal with this looming crisis, and we are lucky that the City of Ukiah is trying to take advantage of it.
The City’s need to annex apparently arose from the requirement by the Sate to consolidate water districts in order to apply for its grant funding: “The Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund was established by SB 200 in 2019 to help water systems provide an adequate and affordable supply of safe drinking water in both the near and long term. The fund’s expenditure plan prioritizes funding for districts collaborating to share infrastructure and resources. ” Small water districts like Redwood Valley are having a hard time keeping up with the expenses of maintaining their water resources, not to mention finding ways to acquire and store their quickly diminishing supply, which will only get worse. Consolidation with the City can help.
Rather than speculate and criticize the City’s attempt to be pro-active in addressing future water shortages in our area, I suggest that readers look up the information at some of the links provided in the MV article and by some of its more-informed readers, starting with the SB200 description of the grant’s purposes.
I agree.