New Documents Prove Pattern of Overcharging, Denied Appeals, and Hidden Fees—While One Resident Gets a Hearing, Another Faced Shutoff for Same Violations
Two months after our initial investigation into McCloud Community Services District’s billing practices, new documents obtained by Siskiyou News reveal the controversy runs deeper than isolated errors. The district’s own policies expose a “standby fee” charging residents for non-existent service, while appeal packages from two residents—submitted just months apart—show wildly different treatment based on whether a customer knows to invoke state law.
The cases of Nicole Monpain and Jolie Hickman, now separated by a clear timeline, demonstrate what appears to be a systematic approach: delay, deny, and disconnect—unless the resident forces a public hearing.
THE FIREFIGHTER WHO BECAME A “WELFARE CASE”
Nicole Monpain wants one thing clear: “I am not a welfare case.”
Before MCSD’s billing practices consumed her life, Monpain served McCloud as an ambulance driver and volunteer firefighter for two years. She volunteered for the American Legion, the recreation council, and the chamber of commerce while working multiple jobs to support herself and her son.
Her reward? A $3,440 water bill that made her feel “absolutely depressed” and forced her to take a leave of absence from the fire department.
“After my public hearing, where two of our fireman’s association members who sit on the BOD for MCSD and my fire chief witnessed how I was treated, I was so defeated that I put in a request for Leave of Absence that same day,” Monpain said. “The idea of volunteering any more time to the fire dept through the service district and the way I was treated left me really thrown upside down.”
She ultimately made the personal decision to submit a letter for a Leave of Absence, based directly on the circumstances of her treatment.
THE $4,000 OVERPAYMENT THAT WON’T BE REFUNDED
Monpain’s 14-Month Battle
- July 2023: Monpain moves into 416 California Avenue, inherits $3,314 balance
- April 2024: Balance grows to $5,126 despite consistent $200 monthly payments ($38 over her service charge)
- May 2025: Mails certified letter demanding five-year transaction history; discovers vanished $601.50 COVID credit
- August 25, 2025: Mother receives disconnection notice for $6,145
- August 28, 2025: Submits formal appeal package to full board, invoking SB998 and Policy 3425.10
- September 8, 2025: Board holds public hearing, admits to miscalculations, approves 18-month plan
Monpain’s appeal package, which she provided to Siskiyou News, shows meticulous documentation. She identified 26 months of overpayments, a reversed COVID relief credit, and phantom late fees applied during months she paid early.
The district’s response? General Manager Steven Ramos admitted “collection fees were miscalculated” and voided $3,104 in penalties—but refused to credit her overpayments or restore the missing COVID relief. The board approved an 18-month payment plan only after Monpain’s public testimony forced the issue.
The Smoking Gun: Policy 3425.26 gives Ramos “sole discretion” to issue refunds for overcharges. Monpain’s $4,000 in documented overpayments remains uncredited.
THE APPEAL THAT WAS NEVER HEARD
Jolie Hickman’s 3-Month Descent
- October 21, 2025: Signs payment agreement for $1,890 debt at $320/month (consuming 40% of her fixed income) ( nowhere in the agreement are her rights to an appeal or SB998 mentioned)
- December 30, 2025: Emails to Ramos explaining $320 is unaffordable, requests $200/month or work-exchange, Ramos then hit her with a 1/25/26 shutoff
- January 6, 2026: Submits formal appeal invoking SB998 protections for disabled seniors, Ramos then hits her with a shutoff of Jan 20, 2026 (5 days earlier)
- January 13, 2026: Ramos denies appeal, claiming “the Board’s attorney counseled that your request is not valid” (Ramos hits her with a 48 hour shutoff, now 8 days earlier than the initial shutoff) Bullying Hickman by making the shutoff date earlier and earlier
- January 20, 2026: Water Shutoff in violation of SB998 not poses a threat to her health and her elderly service dog, Sam.
- Hickman’s appeal package mirrors Monpain’s: proper invocation of Policy 3425.10, documentation of CalFresh and disability status, and citation of health/safety exemptions. The difference? She didn’t have a copy of SB998 to hand the board—she trusted Ramos to explain her rights, which she says he never did.
Ramos’s January 13 email claims he gave her SB998 documentation and discussed alternatives. Hickman calls this “a bold-faced lie” and offers to take a polygraph. Unlike Monpain, she never got her ten-day written summary or board hearing—violations of the same Policy 3425.25.2.1 that Monpain used to force a public meeting.
COURT PRECEDENT: MCSD ALREADY LOST THIS FIGHT
Monpain provided Siskiyou News with a copy of a court ruling against MCSD for denying a documents request. The ruling “sets a probationary watch and precedent against the MCSD,” she said. “So yes, there is a pattern.”
The district has already been sued for the same behavior—denying residents access to records. Now they’re denying Hickman’s appeal rights while following the law for Monpain only after she forced a public hearing.
THE STANDBY FEE FOR GHOST SERVICE
Policy 1060, the district’s Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, includes a $142 annual “Stand-By Fee” for customers with “water infrastructure available but not currently receiving service.”
Residents report being charged this fee for years while pipes under their homes were broken and non-functional. Hickman’s home had a collapsed kitchen floor from a burst pipe yet she paid FULL SERVICE FEES for five years while NO SERVICES CONNECTED TO THE HOME FROM THE STREET using no district water & Sewer, while living in an RV with her late husband during the construction of their home and no services. Which bares to question, how many others paid this fee ?
The policy also reveals:
- $60/hour labor charges (per person, 15-minute increments)
- $5,000 “Household Equivalent” connection fees
- $180 after-hours turn-on fees
These rates appear on bills without explanation. When Hickman requested “rules and regulations of water use,” Ramos directed her to Policy 3425—which mentions none of these fees.
INFRASTRUCTURE NEGLECT: THE PIPES UNDER YOUR FLOOR
A former employee confirms what residents suspect: Aging street water pipes run under most homes, known to be failing, with no replacement plan.
Hickman’s floor collapse wasn’t unique. The district’s liability remains undefined in any public document, yet Policy 1060 charges residents for “available” infrastructure—regardless of functionality.
The district’s Policy 3425.21.3 grants Ramos authority to “choose which payment options… may be available.” It doesn’t grant authority to waive payment plans entirely for insiders while enforcing them strictly on disabled seniors.
LEGAL EXPOSURE: PATTERN OF PROCEDURAL VIOLATIONS
Ramos’s employment contract incentivizes “securing additional District funding sources.” His $132,500 base salary includes potential 15% performance bonuses.
The district’s 2025-26 budget includes 5% wage increases, financed partly by late fees and penalties—revenue streams that Policy 3425.26 and 1060 give Ramos “sole discretion” to impose or waive.
When a government agency’s revenue ties directly to penalties it imposes at one manager’s discretion, and that manager can deny appeal rights without board oversight, the system ceases to be public utility and becomes personal., So why is there a board if the Ramos has the final say??
CHOOSING SIDES: THE COMMUNITY DIVIDE
Monpain is now grappling with the personal cost of speaking out.
“While I am comforted and happy to join the fight again for the injustice against the community of McCloud by the MCSD and Steven at the head, I am deeply affected by the choosing of sides and the community belief that I came out with this article against Steven, as many knew my situation, including my Church congregation,” she said.
She wants her community to know: “I am not a welfare case. I was an active member of my community. I volunteered. I served. And I was treated like a delinquent for asking for receipts.”
The district’s own policies, when actually followed, provide robust protections. The problem isn’t the rules—it’s that they apply only to those who know enough to demand enforcement.
Monpain knew. She fought. She got heard.
Hickman trusted. She asked. She’s got shut off Tuesday.
–Hickman,. still grieving over the loss of her husband, of nearly 40 years, wants the community to understand, that she begged Steven Ramos to help her find a resolution to avoid getting shut off, following the rules outlined in 3425 and violated her disability act SB998. and his only reply to her was giving her shut off notices and deny. deny. deny.
Same district. Same policies. Different results. Same pattern.
2 Comments
GOES TO SHOW EVEN QUAINT LITTLE TOWNS ARE CORRUPT
It’s time the State come in and does an audit. What did they do with the Covid fund ? Have they been turned into Covid? IRS? The Governor ?
These two women needs to seek out a big law firm and get your money back, get the funds back for everyone that were over charged.
The service district has changed my husband and I for 30 years for water on my lot which has no water. Bruce French was the manager at the time in 1994 when we purchased the property and he ignored us so I wrote a letter to the district but they ignored me. Karen Colombero, McCloud