Yuba City addresses RV, boat parking ordinance; Lease financing approved by city council for heavy equipment vehicles

Michaela Harris, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·4 min read

Oct. 4—The Yuba City City Council unanimously approved Tuesday action to initiate an amendment to the city's municipal code, which could revise regulations for placing boats, trailers and RVs on the front yards of residential properties.

Seeing these types of vehicles in front yards or driveways is not uncommon in Yuba City. By amending the city's existing ordinance, officials hope to establish clear parking standards and make code enforcement more efficient and effective.

Currently, Yuba City's municipal code requires that boats, trailers and RVs be parked behind a front wall of a residential property that is at least 6 feet tall. An exception to this rule is RVs that are regularly used for daily transportation can be parked overnight in recognized parking areas.

This topic was previously discussed at city council workshops in January and September this year, Deputy Director of Development Services Doug Libby said. Since then, city staff have prepared draft revisions of the municipal code to allow parking for a single boat, trailer or RV within a front yard area.

"The question of where to allow parking for these items can be controversial because there are people passionate about either side. You have those who want the flexibility to be able to park their unit in their front yard to reduce storage costs and have ready access to it. You also have people equally passionate who believe that the parking of such units in a front yard creates clutter and a negative aesthetic look in the area and could potentially reduce property values," Libby said.

Proposed revisions include developing parking areas to a similar standard as existing driveways. New driveway connections with the public street or right-of-way would be required to meet the city's standards and have an encroachment permit, Libby said.

Parking areas would also take place in front of an existing garage or front side yard area. Parked RVs, trailers and boats would have a setback requirement of at least 1 foot away from the public sidewalk or right-of-way.

Moving forward, city staff will draft an ordinance to be considered by the Planning Commission at a public hearing before being brought back to council. Separate meetings will be held to introduce the ordinance and later vote to adopt it.

Lease financing

As Yuba City continues to replace its fleet of aging vehicles, the Yuba City City Council unanimously approved a $1 million lease financing agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank to purchase two dump trucks and an all-terrain fire vehicle.

According to Finance Director Spencer Morrison, this purchase was authorized as part of the city's 2023/24 operating budget. City staff received a quote from PB Loader Corporation for a total net price of $388,796 for two dump truck vehicles, which will arrive between four to six months of purchase. In addition, the city estimates that the total cost to purchase and equip an all-terrain fire engine will be around $515,000.

In order to facilitate 10-year lease financing for these vehicles, financial planning company NHA Advisors helped the city establish a competitive bid process and determined that JPMorgan had the best offer with a locked, fixed 3.99% interest rate.

This bid is based on the city utilizing a make-whole call option for the financing, meaning that should city officials elect to prepay the equipment lease financing, the prepayment price would be a function of both the remaining payments and the market interest rates.

City staff are hoping to purchase a BME Targhee standard fire engine, which is currently unavailable due to labor shortages and manufacturing issues. Morrison said that the city will hold funds for a new fire engine in escrow in case a suitable model becomes available.

"Because it's a line of credit, if we don't end up making the purchase of this engine, then the money will either go back to the bank or we might be able to utilize it to pay down the debt," Morrison said.

This financing agreement will give Yuba City a maximum annual debt of $121,260 per year if officials spend the whole loan amount. During the 10-year term of the lease schedule, the total interest paid will be approximately $228,000, the city said.