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Council files SB165 reports but Mare Island residents demand review of CFD methodology
Summary
Council adopted SB165 annual reports for several community facility districts, but multiple Mare Island residents urged the council to delay or freeze the CFD assessments until the cost‑allocation methodology (based on 2010 estimates) is explained and reviewed by Goodwin Consulting.
The Vallejo City Council voted on Jan. 28 to receive and file the SB165 annual report for three districts — the Northeast Quadrant Improvement District, Hidden Brook Improvement District, and Mare Island Community Facilities Districts — while residents representing Mare Island pressed the council to pause or revisit Mare Island assessments pending a review of the allocation method and underlying data.
Sherry Anne Grimm, representing Mare Island residents, told the council the Goodwin Consulting memorandum in the staff packet used dated assumptions and a cost allocation formula that she said allocates a disproportionate share of fire and police costs to Mare Island homeowners. "By using total square footage and people served, the 2010 formula inflates costs charged to residents who only own a total of 12.9% of the square footage on Mare Island," she said, asking that the Mare Island portion of the report be omitted from any vote until consultants explain the change.
Daniel Glaze, a Mare Island homeowner since 1969, traced the issue to post‑9/11 project cancellations and the city’s bankruptcy and said the current charges ‘‘greatly exceeded the actual costs’’ meaning residents may be paying more than intended. Other residents urged council action to provide tax relief or freeze assessments for some parcels pending a fuller review.
Staff told the council the staff report contains a typographical error: the population and square‑footage figures referenced as 2016 should have been labeled 2010. Assistant city manager Nalengo Conley said the numbers used in the report are the known estimates and staff can verify sunset dates and provide follow‑up. "There was actually a typo in the staff report. It shouldn't have been 2016. It should have been 2010," Conley said.
Several councilmembers asked staff to arrange a deeper review and to invite Goodwin Consulting to present the methodology and assumptions. Council directed staff to accept the annual reports for the Northeast Quadrant and Hidden Brook districts, which have outstanding debt and reporting obligations, while scheduling additional review and a more comprehensive Mare Island discussion for a future meeting.
Next steps: Staff said they will verify sunset dates for Hidden Brook, share the reports with the relevant HOAs, and work to schedule a focused presentation (Goodwin Consulting and staff indicated March as a reasonable time frame to begin a more detailed public discussion).
