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stations located within the districts. The assessments and budget are determined <br />before the beginning of each fiscal year. <br />BACKGROUND <br />GHAD - Purposes and Description <br />Geologic Hazard Abatement Districts (GHADs) are State - authorized districts which can <br />be formed for the purpose of prevention, mitigation, abatement or control of a geologic <br />hazard. A "geologic hazard" is an actual or threatened landslide, land subsidence, soil <br />erosion, or other natural or unnatural movement of land. Movement of land /damage <br />due to an earthquake is specifically exempted from coverage by the GHAD. <br />GHADs are formed when a geotechnical investigation at the time of development <br />reveals land areas within the development that are unsuitable for housing or other <br />structures due to evidence of prior earth movement and /or the potential for future earth <br />movement. These undevelopable areas in the project are set aside as open space. In <br />these open spaces, based upon the findings of the geotechnical investigation, the <br />developer constructs infrastructure designed to lessen the likelihood that earth <br />movement will occur and damage the areas that are developed with roadways, utilities, <br />housing, etc. The infrastructure includes slope stabilization measures such as drainage <br />V- ditches, pipelines, rip rap armoring, etc. The GHAD is the funding mechanism to <br />monitor and repair (and eventually replace) the infrastructure, and repair soil movement <br />or landslides (should they occur). <br />A GHAD, like any Special Assessment District, is designed to assess property owners <br />for a benefit they receive that is special to them. The developers, in conjunction with <br />the City, created each of the Pleasanton GHADs to operate, maintain, and eventually <br />replace the slope stabilization measures they built as part of their respective housing <br />developments. The developers also dedicated in fee title all the open space to the City <br />(in some cases the HOA), and established that the City Council would serve as the <br />Board of Directors of each GHAD. The developers and the Board of Directors <br />established the initial assessments based upon "plan of control" documents created for <br />each district. The plan of control documents utilized each developments original <br />construction plans as the basis for the repair and maintenance plan. The developers <br />also put some funding into a reserve as "seed money" for the eventual capital <br />replacement needs. After establishment of the GHAD, annual assessments have <br />appropriately been collected from property owners at the same time and in the same <br />manner as property taxes. <br />Existing GHADs within the City of Pleasanton <br />There are four existing GHADs within Pleasanton: Laurel Creek Estates, Lemoine <br />Ranch Estates, Moller Ranch, and Oak Tree Farm. All four GHADs are located on the <br />west side of Foothill Road and in areas where potential geologic hazards exist. <br />There is an on -going need to perform the following work within the GHADs: conduct <br />biannual geologic and storm drainage infrastructure monitoring, perform annual <br />maintenance and repair work of slope stabilization infrastructure, and repair significant <br />landslides or other geological movement should they occur. Geotechnical engineering <br />Page 2 of 4 <br />