McCall adopts ordinance to put up-to-$10M water revenue bond on May 19 ballot

The McCall City Council voted to adopt Ordinance 10-34 on a motion to call a special election for a water revenue bond on May 19, 2026, authorizing publication of the ballot summary and empowering the mayor to sign related documents.

Nathan Stewart, the city’s public works director, introduced the ordinance and said staff included conservative data points in the draft — including a maximum potential rate increase of "up to 42%" as a worst-case figure for voter clarity — while stressing staff will pursue all options to reduce impacts on water customers if the bond does not pass. "This ordinance articulates specifically, the bond election criteria, and specifications that will be put towards the voters on May 19," Stewart said.

Councilors discussed outreach plans (tentative public meetings on the fourth and the eighth of the month), how to present a comparison of the bond-approved versus bond-rejected scenarios, and the regulatory drivers for the project (fire-flow standards, EPA/DEQ compliance). Staff emphasized financing trade-offs: borrowing spreads the cost over time and lowers immediate rate pressure compared with cash funding, though the council retains authority to decide how much to bond and which project components to include.

The motion to adopt the ordinance passed on a roll-call vote; the ordinance as adopted calls for a revenue bond election to finance proposed water system expansion and improvements and sets procedural steps for publication and mayoral authorization to sign election documents. Staff said they will produce public-facing materials and continue outreach prior to the May election.