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Increases to Assessments <br /> Assessments in each of the districts will remain unchanged this fiscal year. As stated in <br /> this report and previous reports, assessments have not been increased in the LMDs <br /> since they were created. Therefore, the current assessments are based upon operation <br /> and maintenance costs, and capital replacement costs, that existed at the time the <br /> LMDs were created. The districts have operated year-to-year through a combination of <br /> reducing maintenance, shutting down irrigation systems, and depleting capital <br /> replacement reserves. This is due in large part to the complicated process required to <br /> increase assessments created by the passage of Proposition 218 in 1996. However, <br /> annual costs have continued to increase, and capital reserves have been depleted to <br /> the point now that this operational strategy is no longer sustainable. The revenue in <br /> some districts, as detailed above, is no longer enough to cover the operational costs. <br /> This strategy also resulted in depleting the reserves needed for eventual capital <br /> replacement. <br /> City staff, in consultation with SCI Consulting Group, a consultant that specializes in the <br /> formation of LMDs, began the analysis and Proposition 218 compliant voting procedure <br /> to increase assessments for the two most underfunded LMDs, Windsor and Bonde <br /> Ranch, but the voting process was put on hold due to the Bonde Ranch residents' <br /> opposition to the increase at the February 3, 2022, neighborhood outreach meeting <br /> regarding the subject. Additionally, the voting process for the Windsor LIVID was also put <br /> on hold based on the input from residents at the February 2, 2022, outreach meeting. <br /> The Windsor residents expressed the desire for a longer and more inclusive outreach <br /> process prior to holding the vote. The City plans to conduct outreach in 2022 and 2023 <br /> with the vote now expected to occur in 2023. <br /> The City will be working to determine maintenance expectations and appropriate <br /> maintenance standards for each district and will determine the appropriate reserve <br /> amount to cover eventual capital replacements. When complete, required assessment <br /> increases will be calculated. The goal for each LIVID with this effort is to fully understand <br /> the funding required to implement a sustainable landscape maintenance program in <br /> accordance with PUD requirements and the expectations of those residents living in the <br /> affected special assessment district, as well as to grow the capital reserve with an <br /> annual contribution to fund eventual replacement based upon an anticipated <br /> replacement cycle. <br /> The assessments will not be increased for this coming year's maintenance. The <br /> information contained within this report regarding the need to increase assessments, <br /> and the plan to have the residents in each special district consider and vote on an <br /> assessment increase, is informational only with respect to the proposed public hearing <br /> and action before City Council on June 21, 2022. <br /> PUBLIC COMMENT <br /> Staff provides general information to residents within the Landscape and Lighting <br /> Maintenance Districts as a part of the public notice for confirmation of the Engineer's <br /> Report. This annual notice provides the name and phone number of a staff contact <br /> person should questions arise. While assessments will not increase because of this <br /> year's Engineer's Report, it is expected that the plan outlined in this report to ask <br /> Page 8 of 9 <br />