NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

On October 6, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard at the Oakdale Irrigation District (OID), located at 1205 East F Street, Oakdale, California, a Public Hearing will be conducted by the OID Board of Directors at which time and place all persons may attend and be heard upon the proposed updated water service rates, which if adopted, would apply to all parcels within Improvement District 48 boundary. If the proposed rates are adopted, the first increase will go into effect January 1, 2027; and annually thereafter.

The purpose of this notice is to set forth the proposed, updated maximum water service rates and to notify you of the public hearing. At the public hearing, the Board of Directors will consider all written objections and the District’s responses to those objections, consider written and verbal comments, tabulate written protests, and, if a majority protest is not received, consider adopting the updated water service rates. The procedures for submitting a written objection and/or a written protest are detailed in this notice.

HOW WERE THE PROPOSED RATES CALCULATED?

A third-party consultant prepared a 2025 Water Rate Study Report for water services to determine the total amount necessary to ensure there will be adequate funding to meet the Improvement District’s revenue requirements, as well as to review the rising costs of providing services and comply with certain legal requirements. The District’s broader objectives in this study, and the reason for the water service rate increase proposed, include ensuring adequate funding for operating costs, maintaining reasonable reserves, and ensuring revenue stability in utility rates. The rates resulting from this study were developed in a manner that is consistent with industry standard cost-of-service principles. In addition to documenting the rate study methodology, this report is provided with the intent to assist the District in its continuing effort to maintain transparent communications with the community it serves. To read the complete 2025 Water Rate Study Report, visit www.oakdaleirrigation.com/water-rate-study. If you would like a copy of the study to be mailed to you, please contact OID at (209) 847-0341 or amccormick@oakdaleirrigation.com.

IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT 48 PROPOSED WATER RATES

The Board of Directors will consider the following proposed water service rate updates, set forth in the table below, at the Board of Directors meeting on October 6, 2026. If the proposed rates are adopted, the first increase will go into effect January 1, 2027.

PROTESTS AND OBJECTIONS TO THE PROPOSED MAXIMUM RATES

PROTESTS

Property owners or customers of record subject to the proposed water service rates may file a written protest and/or a written objection to the proposed maximum rates. Protests to the proposed rates may be submitted pursuant to section 6 of Article XIII D of the California Constitution, and if protests are submitted by a majority of parcels receiving water services, then the Board of Directors cannot adopt the proposed rates.  

Requirements for a Valid Protest:

1. Must be in writing.

2. Must include a statement that it is a protest against the proposed change in water rates.

3. Must provide the name of the record owner or customer of record submitting the protest.

4. Must identify the parcel associated with the person filing the request by assessor's parcel number or service address.

5. Must include the original signature of the record owner or customer of record submitting the protest. As such, electronic protests will not be counted.

Protests will not be counted if any of the required elements of a written protest are omitted. Written protests must be received at the address below by 9:00 a.m. on October 6, 2026, if mailed or submitted in person prior to the public hearing. Written protests may also be hand delivered to the Board Secretary at the Board of Directors meeting on October 6, 2026, up until the close of the public input portion of the public hearing on the matter. Prior to the public hearing, hours for in person protest submittal are 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, closed Fridays.

ATTN: Board Secretary (ID48 Water Service Charge Protest)

Oakdale Irrigation District

1205 East F Street

Oakdale CA 95361

If prior to the close of the public input portion of the public hearing, written protests are presented by a majority of parcels that receive water services, the Board of Directors will not increase the water service rates from their existing level. Only one written protest per parcel will be counted in calculating a majority protest.

OBJECTIONS

Objections may be submitted pursuant to Government Code section 53759.1, and any person that wishes to challenge the rates in a legal proceeding must file an objection, which complies with the requirements detailed below. While the same person or entity may submit both a protest and an objection, to be valid, protests and objections must be submitted separately, as clearly labeled, distinct documents.

Requirements for a Valid Objection:

1. Must include a clear statement that it is an objection to the proposed water service rates.
2. Must be filed separately from protests.
3. Must include the name of the record owner or customer of record and the assessor’s parcel number or service address associated with the objector’s parcel that is subject to the proposed water service rates.
4. Must include the specific subsections of the California Constitution Article XIII D, section 6(b) or any other applicable law that the objector believes would be violated by the approval and/or imposition of the proposed water service rates.
5. Must include a detailed explanation, with references to the Water Rate Study, legal authority, and any additional data or evidence the objector chooses to present that will enable the District to understand the grounds for the objector’s claim that the proposed water service rates do not comply with Proposition 218 or any other applicable law. An objection may include expert analysis in support of the objection. If an objection includes expert analysis, the expert’s contact information and statement of their           qualifications must be included. 
6. Must include the original signature of the objector. As such, electronic objections will not be valid.

To be valid, all written objections must include the information listed above and be received by the Board Secretary by 9:00 a.m. on September 30, 2026, at the address below. Hours for in person objection submittal are 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, closed Fridays.

ATTN: Board Secretary (ID48 Water Service Charge Objection)

Oakdale Irrigation District

1205 East F Street

Oakdale CA 95361

Failure to timely object in writing bars any right to challenge the proposed water service rates through a legal proceeding and any such action may be limited to issues identified in the challenger’s objection.

If any of the requirements for a valid, written objection are not met, then the objection will be deemed invalid and will not be considered by the District. Objections must be submitted separately from protests and any written submission labeled as both a protest and an objection shall be deemed invalid.

Prior to the close of the public hearing, the Board of Directors will consider and respond in writing to any timely, valid written objection. The District’s response will explain the substantive basis for retaining or altering the proposed water service rates in response to the written objection, and, if applicable, the grounds for not making any amendments in response to the objection.

The proposed water service rates are subject to Government Code section 53759. You are hereby notified pursuant to Government Code section 53759 that any judicial action or proceeding to attack, review, set aside, void, validate, or annul the Board of Directors’ adoption of the proposed water service rates must be commenced within 120 days of the effective date or the date of the final passage, adoption, or approval of the ordinance or resolution adopting the water service rates, whichever is later.

WHO IS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT 48?

Improvement District No. 48 (ID48), also known as the Davis Ditch Pipe Line, was formed in 1973 by landowner petition to maintain a shared private pipeline, within ID48 boundaries. ID48 is managed and maintained by Oakdale Irrigation District (OID). OID acts as trustee on behalf of ID48, collecting assessments in an ID48 fund and using the funds as necessary for maintenance and repairs.

WHO IS SUBJECT TO THE IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT 48 RATES?

Only ID48 landowners would be subject to the proposed rate increases which currently include 26 parcels. However, as the county assumes acreage for the North County Corridor Project, they are not required to participate in the improvement district.

WHY DOES ID48 NEED TO ADJUST OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE (O&M) RATES?

ID48 operation and maintenance rates (O&M) have not increased since 2010. Costs to operate and maintain the system continue to rise due to necessary repairs and regulatory and inflationary pressures. The North County Corridor Project has reduced the acreage participating in the improvement district which has resulted in less O&M fees being collected annually.   

The actual cost of performing maintenance and repairs has exceeded the revenue generated from the annual assessments. The improvement district was intended to operate without outside financial support. However, the current rate of increasing costs is depleting available funds, threatening long-term viability. The most recent repairs in 2025 and 2026 exceeded the funds available by more than $4,000. ID 48 is currently insolvent pending an increase or a one-time assessment.

WHAT HAPPENS IF ID48 DOES NOT INCREASE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE RATES?

Failure to raise assessment rates will lead to either large, unexpected assessments for landowners to repay the amount currently due for recent repairs, or dissolution of the improvement district.

WHEN WILL THE PROPOSED RATES GO INTO EFFECT?

Provided the OID Board of Directors does not receive sufficient written protests, and the proposed rates are approved on October 6, 2026, the new rate would be billed on the 2027 ID 48 assessment invoices mailed in early November 2026 with the first half due December 21, 2026. The proposed rates for the remaining years will be billed annually in early November of each year.

IF I WANT TO PROTEST THE PROPOSED RATES, HOW DO I SUBMIT A PROTEST?

Please refer to the Proposition 218 Public Hearing Notice for information regarding filing an objection and/or protest.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE?

If you have questions, please contact the OID office at (209) 847-0341, or via email at info@oakdaleirrigation.com.

UPDATES TO FAQS

This list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) will be updated as additional questions are submitted and answered by OID staff. If you have any questions, please contact the OID office at (209) 847-0341, or via email at info@oakdaleirrigation.com.