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Monrovia staff recommends phased citywide assessment to close $1.14M parks and lighting shortfall
Summary
City staff outlined three five-year options to consolidate Monrovia’s two maintenance assessment districts into a single citywide district and recommended a phased approach that council members favored (50% year‑one implementation with later increases) to limit the immediate impact on residents.
Monrovia City Council heard a staff report Tuesday on options to form a combined citywide lighting, landscape and parks maintenance assessment district designed to stop a growing operating deficit.
Deputy Administrative Services Director Ray Bowman told the council the city currently runs two separate districts whose assessments have not kept pace with rising costs and that the projected deficit for fiscal 2024–25 is $1,140,000. "The assessments have not kept pace with increasing costs, and the projected deficit for 24–25 is 1,140,000.00," Bowman said during his presentation.
Bowman presented three five‑year, phased rate implementations for residential parcels of fewer than five units (about 8,700 parcels): option 1 (60% of full rate in year 1, then 10% annual increases), option 2 (50% in year 1, then 12.5% annual increases) and option 3 (55% in year 1, then 11.25% increases). He said any of the three would collect more in year one than the current separate districts and that CPI adjustments would begin in year one.
Council members asked questions about how the new methodology would affect various land‑use categories and whether some parcels would see decreases while others increased. Bowman explained that the updated assessment is based on a refined special‑benefit methodology and a recalculation of general benefits, which changes rates across parcel types.
After discussion, several council members said they preferred the least disruptive initial approach. Councilmember Jimenez, Councilmember Spicer and Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Kelly all expressed support for option 2 (50% implementation in year one). City Manager Dylan Feek said staff would use the council’s direction to prepare outreach and an educational campaign, and that ballots for a Prop 218 vote could be scheduled next spring with ballots circulated in April–May and, if approved, assessments appearing on the October 2026 tax roll.
Direction (not a final decision): councilmembers generally favored option 2 for initial outreach and a Prop 218 process rather than adopting rates immediately. Staff said outreach would begin once the council gives final direction and that the city aims to give residents time to review materials before ballots are distributed.
The council did not take a formal vote on rates at the meeting; staff will return with outreach materials and a proposed timeline for the Prop 218 ballot process.
