Oakdale's City Council voted unanimously to spend $75,000 studying whether the city can move its Pacific Gas & Electric customers over to Modesto Irrigation District — a switch city staff say could save the average household more than $3,000 a year.
5-0 to approve a $75,000 feasibility study contract with Bell Burnett & Associates.
About 7,000 Oakdale households are served by PG&E; roughly 1,000 already have MID.
Interim City Manager Jerry Ramar says PG&E customers pay about $250 more per month than MID customers — over $3,000 a year.
PG&E says it has no intention of selling its infrastructure.
Why this is even on the table.
Right now, Oakdale runs on two electric providers: most residents are on PG&E, while a smaller group already gets power through Modesto Irrigation District. According to Interim City Manager Jerry Ramar, that split isn't just administrative — it's a real cost difference. PG&E customers reportedly pay roughly $250 more per month than their MID-served neighbors, which adds up to more than $3,000 a year per household.
That gap is what pushed the council to authorize a closer look.
What the study actually does.
The council's 5-0 vote doesn't switch anyone's power provider. It authorizes a $75,000 agreement with Bell Burnett & Associates for a high-level feasibility study — essentially, homework on whether consolidating the city under MID is realistic, and what it would take to get there.
The part that makes this complicated.
PG&E has already signaled it isn't interested in selling. A PG&E representative told the council that acquiring the utility's infrastructure through eminent domain would be expensive, pointing to the South San Joaquin Irrigation District's ongoing fight to acquire PG&E infrastructure — a battle that has cost an estimated $28 million and has been running since 2008.
In other words: even if the feasibility study comes back favorable, the harder fight might be a legal and financial one with PG&E itself, not a technical one.