Breaking News- New Redding City Manager Pauses Proposed REU Rate Hikes and Announces All-Department Operational Reviews at Press Conference
- Elisa Ballard
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
The City of Redding’s new City Manager, William Tarbox is only three weeks into his role and has already taken the bold step of calling for an all-department review of City government, putting a pause on the REU (Redding Electric Utility) rate hike request that was set for a hearing on March 17th. A press conference was announced on March 12th and conducted at Redding City Hall Chambers this morning, March 13th. The March 17th hearing for the rate hike has been canceled.
Flanked by four city councilmembers, Tarbox gave a statement and then took questions from the audience. Tarbox stated that “Before asking our community to pay more, we must ensure that City Hall is operating as efficiently as possible, and that responsibility begins with City management. While public discussions began around the electric utility, the issues we are addressing here today are broader than a single department or enterprise. The City of Redding is a full-service city government….Improving efficiency and accountability requires us to examine the system as a whole, not just one part. Today marks the beginning of a reset in how the City of Redding approaches operational performance.”
Tarbox is calling for a “very intense operational review” of all processes and internal workflows and will be looking to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accountability, and tracking. He stated that decisions will be made on the basis of “complete information and sound operational management”. He also stated that the public should expect transparency, action, and accountability, and he did not rule out the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) to improve operational efficiencies.
No determination has been made as to when a rate increase will be proposed and put into effect. Tarbox stated that he anticipates the review process will start in two weeks. There is an understanding of a disconnect between the ratepayers of Redding and the City, and the City has not done its part in communicating the efficiencies. He would like to establish better communications with the community going forward.
City Councilmember Tenessa Audette was asked to comment on today's press briefing, and she offered,
"Our residents made it clear they need relief. Some past decisions left our city on a path that required correction, and our new city manager is committed to taking us in a different direction—one focused on fiscal discipline and putting people first. Canceling the rate increase is part of that reset."
Audette vigorously debated that the rate increase was premature in earlier council meetings.
The Redding City Council selected Tarbox in December 2025, following a months-long recruitment process after the retirement of Barry Tippin in October. The city issued a welcome announcement on February 23, 2026, confirming he had "officially begun" serving, with activities including staff meetings and facility tours already underway. Tarbox, previously the Public Works Director for the City of Concord, CA, told SHASTA UNFILTERED that he took a pay cut to relocate to Redding because he and his family enjoy this area.
View the entire press briefing:
