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Carpinteria council moves to begin mailed‑ballot process for citywide landscape district
Summary
Council voted to initiate proceedings to form a citywide Landscape Maintenance District (LMD 2025‑1) and order an engineer's report and mailed property‑owner ballot, a step staff says is needed to close a growing maintenance funding gap for medians, irrigation and nearly 3,000 street trees.
Carpinteria City Council on Nov. 10 voted to initiate the formal Proposition 218 property‑owner mailed‑ballot process to form Landscape Maintenance District 2025‑1, a citywide proposal staff says will consolidate multiple legacy zones and fund maintenance for medians, irrigation systems and almost 3,000 public right‑of‑way trees.
Staff told the council that the current mix of legacy zones and ad‑hoc subsidies no longer covers the true cost of maintaining public landscaping. "The true costs of maintaining and providing the work and services for the maintenance district does not match what we're bringing in in the assessments," said a staff presenter, recommending the city prepare an engineer's report and mail ballots to affected property owners ahead of a public hearing scheduled for March 9, 2026.
The draft engineer's report, prepared with consultant Willdan, defines district boundaries, lists improvements to be funded, describes a special‑vs‑general benefit allocation and proposes a method of apportionment and maximum rates. If a majority protest is not received during the mailed‑ballot proceeding, council may form the district and begin levying assessments in fiscal year 2026–27.
Councilmembers asked how the city will report on use of funds and what happens if the ballot fails. Staff said the district will produce an annual budget and that, absent formation, the city would continue subsidizing the maintenance work from the general fund and face escalating budget pressures that could require cuts to programs or staff in future years.
Public comment raised equity concerns about who pays; staff and a resident noted taxes or assessments are levied by parcel and thus apply to short‑term rentals and out‑of‑state owners as well as residents.
Next steps: staff will finalize the engineer's report, conduct outreach and education for property owners with consultants, mail ballots at least 45 days before the March 9, 2026 hearing, and return to council for the hearing and ballot tabulation.
