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Council directs clerk to notify county about $20 parcel snow‑equipment assessment after public hearing
Summary
After a public hearing on the county parcel assessment that funds local snow‑removal equipment, council directed the city clerk to prepare a minute order to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors to review the long‑unchanged $20 parcel charge. Staff reported the county remits approximately $234,000; some councilors and public speakers argued the $20 charge, unchanged since 1989, has lost value to inflation.
The City Council held the annual public hearing required under a joint powers agreement that allows El Dorado County to levy a $20 parcel charge to pay for snow‑removal equipment in the city. Director of Public Works Anush Nehad told the council the county remits roughly $234,000 annually (less a 1% administrative charge), funds that are dedicated to buying and maintaining snow‑removal equipment for local streets.
Members of the public and councilors told the chamber that the $20 assessment was set in 1989 and has not been adjusted, leaving it worth much less in real dollars. “If you account for inflation, that’s about $80 in today’s dollars,” Council Member Robbins said during discussion. Speakers asked whether the county, which administers the parcel tax, can legally put an increase on a ballot and whether a frontage‑based assessment (which charges by road frontage) might better reflect who benefits from plowing.
After public comment, which included residents’ concerns about Highway 50 and Caltrans plowing (the city clarified it does not plow state highways without an agreement), council unanimously passed a motion instructing the city clerk to prepare and submit a minute order and public comment for the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors regarding the current $20 parcel assessment. Council members said they want the county to reevaluate whether the fee still covers the intended equipment and service costs.
What’s next: The clerk will prepare the minute order and forward it to the county; any increase to the parcel charge would require county action and typically voter approval, council staff said. Staff also confirmed the assessment revenue only covers local street equipment and does not fund state highway plowing, which remains Caltrans’ responsibility.
Attribution: quoted and paraphrased statements come from Public Works Director Anush Nehad, Council Member Robbins, and multiple public commenters.
