Subject:  ELECTION RESULTS FOR MAINTENANCE DISTRICTS 4, 9, 11, 19 AND 20

 

COUNCIL DISTRICT:  2, 3, 4

SNI AREA:   N/A

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

a.   Direction to the City Clerk to report the ballot tabulation results for:

      1.   Maintenance District 4 (Gateway Place – Airport Parkway)

      2.   Maintenance District 9 (Santa Teresa – Great Oaks)

      3.   Maintenance District 11 (Brokaw Rd from Junction Ave to Old Oakland Rd)

      4.   Maintenance District 19 (River Oaks Area Landscaping)

      5.   Maintenance District 20 (Renaissance - North First Landscaping)

 

b.   Adoption of resolutions approving the Fiscal Year 2001-2002 Engineer’s Reports, and approving the base assessment with an annual adjustment and imposing the assessments for:

      1.   Maintenance District 9

      2.   Maintenance District 11

      3.   Maintenance District 19

      4.   Maintenance District 20

 

c.   Direction to City staff to begin the process of forming a new district to replace Maintenance District 4.

 

BACKGROUND

 

Maintenance Districts 4, 9 and 11 had been approved for five year terms which ended June 30, 2001 and must now be reauthorized and in some cases modified in compliance with the procedures of Proposition 218.

 

Maintenance Districts 19 and 20 are new districts being formed at the request of the property owners because the previous districts did not receive voter approval.

 

On May 8, 2001, the City Council adopted resolutions for Districts 4, 9, 11, 19 and 20, which preliminarily approved the Engineer’s Reports for the districts and set public meetings on June 19, 2001.  Additionally, on June 26, 2001, Council conducted public hearings for each district to receive public comments, during which no comments were voiced.  At the close of the hearings, Council ordered the City Clerk to commence tabulation of the ballots and to report the election results at this August 7, 2001 meeting.

 

ANALYSIS

 

Each ballot has been weighted according to the proportional financial obligation of the affected property.  In order for each district to continue maintenance, a majority of the ballots cast by the qualified electors for that district must be in favor of the assessments.

 

For districts receiving majority approval based on their assessments, the final action is Council’s adoption of a resolution for each district declaring the ballot tabulation results, approving the Engineer’s Report, the base assessment with an annual adjustment and imposing the assessments on those properties within each respective district as proposed in its Engineer’s Report.  The assessments will be collected through the Santa Clara County secured property tax bills in addition to direct invoicing of publicly-owned properties.

 

Maintenance Districts 9, 11, 19 and 20 were approved by the property owners subject to the assessments.  Approximately 50% of the ownership within each of these districts returned ballots.  Maintenance District 4, however, only received one ballot which was in opposition to the district and therefore, did not receive voter approval.  The contingency funds remaining in the district may continue to be expended for district purposes.  It is likely that all remaining funds will be expended  and maintenance will cease by June 30, 2002.  Public Works has been contacted by a property owner in District 4 representing approximately 60% of total proposed assessments that was unable to return its ballots prior to the deadline.  This owner is requesting that a new district be formed to replace Maintenance District 4.  If the formation process for a new district begins soon, a smooth transition of the maintenance services from District 4 to the new district, if approved, may be achieved.

 

PUBLIC OUTREACH

 

The Department of Public Works will mail notification of the election results to the property owners in each respective district.  Property owners in proposed Maintenance Districts 19 and 20 who have provided their e-mail addresses will also be notified electronically by the Departments of Transportation and Public Works.  For voter-approved districts, a Notice of Assessment will be filed with the County identifying each property with its associated assessment.

 

COORDINATION

 

This memorandum and related documents were prepared in cooperation with the Office of the City Attorney and the Department of Transportation.

 

COST IMPLICATIONS

 

The Engineer’s Reports have determined that there are general benefit costs to be paid each year by the City from the General Fund or other funds that may be generally available to the City.  The general benefit contributions for the following districts are to pay the cost the City would have otherwise incurred for standard maintenance of street islands on major thoroughfares within each district for the 2001‑2002 fiscal year.  Each year the contribution will be evaluated based on the expected cost for standard City maintenance for that year.

 

Maintenance District 9

 

Santa Teresa Boulevard, San Ignacio Avenue

and Cottle Road street islands               $   27,144.00

 

Maintenance District 11

 

Brokaw Road street islands                  $     7,346.00

 

Maintenance District 19

 

Fire Station Assessment                        $        261.44

Zanker Road street islands                           7,162.00

                                                            $     7,423.44

 

Maintenance District 20

 

North First Street street islands             $     8,790.00

 

Costs incurred by the City for the reauthorization of Districts 4, 9 and 11 will be charged to the existing districts.  Reauthorized districts will continue to pay all special benefit maintenance costs.  It is anticipated that maintenance costs for District 4, including the $6,795.00 that the City would have contributed for Airport Parkway street islands, will revert back to the General Fund at the end of this fiscal year, requiring a reevaluation of the level of maintenance provided.

 

Costs incurred by the City for the formation of Districts 19 and 20 will be covered by funds previously collected by the two failed districts Maintenance Districts 19 and 20 are being established to replace.  These two new districts will assume all special benefit maintenance costs.  In District 19, the City will be charged $261.44 for Fire Station 29 located within the district boundaries.

 

 

RAJEEV BATRA

Acting Director, Public Works Department