The County Service Area (CSA) levies fees to provide a source of funding for services in North Davis Meadows that the CSA would not otherwise be able to fund, and which are calculated in order to appropriately spread applicable costs among users according to the cost of providing the services to that user. The current fee, which funds services related to water, landscaping, street lighting and stormwater, was established in 1997. With the exception of Consumer Price Index increases and increases in support of the project to consolidate with the City of Davis water system, the revenue necessary to provide these services has not been revised since fiscal year 2008-09.
Periodically, the charges for CSA services should be re-examined to determine whether the revenue being collected covers all the costs related to providing the service, and builds adequate reserves if necessary. When a change in the fee or a new fee is warranted, Proposition 218 proceedings are conducted. Proposition 218 proceedings for property-related fees not related to water, sewer or refuse collection require a two-step process:
- Protest proceedings and, if successful, then
- Majority vote by mail election
This action concludes the protest proceedings and initiates the majority vote by mail election if the protest proceedings are successful (no more than 50% of property owners protest a given fee).
Proposition 218 proceedings were initiated because the current fee provides the CSA revenue only adequate to maintain the wells at this time, but not adequate for any other services. As the County cannot provide services for which the CSA does not have the means to fund, additional revenue must be generated for the community to continue to receive landscaping, street lighting and stormwater services via the CSA as outlined below and in the attached public notification, mailed on May 24, 2019:
Estimated Costs for Services
More detail on the costs to provide the services listed below is available in the attached public notice.
Landscaping Service
The proposed landscape fee is based on the result the April 2019 Request for Proposals for Landscape Service, estimated revenue needed to repair the irrigation system, an agreement with the City of Davis for drainage channel maintenance, the cost of CSA administration related to landscape services and the need to for a 10% contingency reserve.
Street Lighting Service
The proposed street lighting fee is based on recent charges for PG&E street light service, the need for a 10% rate volatility reserve and the cost of CSA administration related to street light service.
Stormwater Service
The proposed stormwater fee is based on recent charges for vegetation management related to the community’s drainage system, the cost of CSA administration related to stormwater services and the need for a 10% contingency reserve.
Proposed New North Davis Meadows CSA Charges Per Parcel
The proposed amount chargeable per year to each owner’s parcel are provided below. If approved, these charges will be collected annually on the property tax roll as maximum rates until the North Davis Meadows CSA determines the fee requires further adjustment or is no longer necessary.
| Property-Related Fee |
Number
of Parcels in the CSA
|
2019-20 Proposed Charge |
Total
2019-20
Revenue
|
| Landscaping Charge |
95 |
$436 |
$41,453 |
| Street Lighting Charge |
95 |
$119 |
$11,311 |
| Stormwater Charge |
95 |
$142 |
$13,500 |
Note: Beginning on July 1, 2020 and ending on June 30, 2025, rates shall increase by no more than the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W and CPI-U) for the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA area for the most recent February to February as compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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