Council reauthorizes citywide Landscape & Lighting District, flags underfunded zones including West Branch

The San Ramon City Council on Tuesday adopted Resolution No. 2025‑072 confirming the Landscape & Lighting District No. 1984‑1 diagram and levying assessments for fiscal year 2025–26, after a presentation by Gary Manuel, landscape program manager, and a public hearing with no speakers.

Manuel summarized a reserve study and a multi‑zone engineer’s report covering 19 zones (two citywide and 17 special zones). The assessment program divides costs between general benefits and zone‑specific benefits and uses CPI limits set at formation or by ballot for some zones. Manuel said the district includes a variety of amenities—irrigation systems, controllers, fountains, gazebos, pedestrian and vehicle bridges and trails—and noted that the largest ongoing expense in many zones is water.

Manuel highlighted Zone 6 (West Branch), a large and highly amenitized district that contains four homeowners associations and 167 parcels outside the HOAs. He told the council that the step fountain in Zone 6 has not operated since fiscal year 2022–23; a previously identified equipment failure and other problems led staff to pause operation rather than perform piecemeal repairs. “The step fountain is not operating currently. It hasn’t operated since fiscal year 22–23,” Manuel said. He added that a previous replacement estimate for one flooded vault and motor was approximately $110,000 but that the zone faces larger long‑term infrastructure needs—roughly $7 million over a 30‑year replacement horizon.

Staff reported Zone 6’s current assessment rate is $380 (the zone is at its maximum rate set by prior ballot authority) and projected that the fund could go negative in about 2030–31 unless changes are made. Manuel described a proposed outreach and engagement timeline: staff will collect zone data, send a mailer summarizing revenue/expenditure and options (including conversion to landscape or repairing the fountain) with a targeted mailer completion in November, hold an in‑person resident meeting in January 2026 and, if needed, bring ballot materials in spring (targeting May) for any required owner approvals.

Council members asked how the city would engage HOAs and residents, how costs would be estimated for conversion versus repair, and whether smart irrigation controllers and leak detection are being used (Manuel said controllers have high‑flow alerts and weather‑sensing features). Councilmember Maynard requested more visible maps showing arterial roads to help residents locate zones; Manuel said staff would refine maps.

The council approved Resolution No. 2025‑072 on a 5–0 vote. The resolution reestablishes the district for FY 2025–26, confirms diagrams and levies assessments while directing staff to continue outreach and follow the reserve study recommendations.

What this means: For most zones the council approved modest increases where necessary to preserve solvency; for zones with healthy reserves staff proposed reduced or flat assessments. Zone 6 (West Branch) was identified as underfunded and will be the subject of a targeted outreach process to develop options and cost estimates for fountain repairs or conversion and to determine whether a ballot measure or rate adjustment will be needed in subsequent years.

Staff will file the updated tax roll with Contra Costa County before the Aug. 10 collection deadline.