Council authorizes Proposition 218 election for LMD benefit zones 4 and 5 to raise park maintenance assessments

After a detailed workshop on landscape maintenance districts (LMDs), the Clovis City Council on Feb. 11 authorized staff to proceed with a Proposition 218 assessment increase election for Landscape Maintenance District Number 1, benefit zones 4 and 5, and to enter an agreement with Francisco & Associates to administer the election.

Public Utilities Director Scott Redelphs led a multi‑part presentation explaining that many zones in LMD No. 1 lack an automatic CPI escalation and that several neighborhood park zones are operating with shrinking fund balances. Redelphs said the LMD program is authorized under the Landscape and Lighting Act of 1972 (Streets and Highways Code, §§22500 et seq.) and described how Proposition 13 property‑tax limits and Proposition 218 voting rules affect how assessments are raised. He told the council that, "Zones 1 through 6 do not have a CPI and the streetlights are not included," and that several long‑standing zones are now facing deficits and repeated failed election efforts.

Redelphs explained staff’s recommendation to seek a modest increase for zones 4 and 5 rather than a larger one. For both zones staff proposed raising the annual assessment by approximately $15 (bringing the proposed assessments to about $65 per parcel per year) and adding a CPI provision capped at 3% in future years, with the goal of stabilizing each zone’s finances. Tim Brashears, the city’s parks manager, explained the maintenance consequences if revenues remain insufficient: routine mowing and maintenance that occurs weekly in summer months could be reduced to once every 6–8 weeks under a “severely reduced” service level, creating health and safety and asset‑degradation risks.

Council authorized staff to proceed with the Proposition 218 election and the city manager to execute an agreement with Francisco & Associates to administer the assessment election. The council vote on the motion was recorded as passing with four votes in favor and one abstention; council did not identify a named yes/no roll call during the meeting record. Staff outlined a proposed election timeline: ballots mailed by April 24, a public hearing June 9 and tabulation beginning after that hearing with results available in mid‑June. Scott Redelphs said the engineers’ report and mailed notices will present the specific levy amounts and that Francisco & Associates will assist as the assessment engineer and election administrator.

Council members requested staff include public education about how property owners can "opt in" where appropriate and to continue outreach to try to improve public understanding of why some parcels already pay LMD assessments while others in the same neighborhood do not. The motion before the council combined authorization to pursue the Prop 218 election for zones 4 and 5 with authorization for the city manager to contract with Francisco & Associates to administer the election; the council adopted that motion and directed staff to proceed with the timeline described.