Council approves street-lighting and storm-drain assessments for FY 2026'17

The Manhattan Beach City Council adopted two separate resolutions to proceed with assessments on property tax rolls for FY 2026-27: one for the street lighting and landscaping district and one for the storm drain service fee.

Controller Julie Bonderchuk and Finance Director Libby Bretau briefed the council on both items. Staff said the city adopted preliminary engineering and noticing steps in April and May and published required public notices. For the street lighting district, staff reported that assessments remain based on land use and have not been raised since 1996, creating a structural shortfall that the general fund has been covering; staff described a projected deficit in the streetlight fund that will be carried to FY 2026-27 unless a Prop 218 ballot process is pursued to change assessments. Council members discussed Proposition 218 procedures and how a ballot increase would be weighted by assessed value.

On the storm drain fee, staff presented updated impervious-area calculations and a proposed assessment totaling roughly $2.4 million for FY 2026-27; staff said a 3% CPI adjustment, if approved, would add approximately $27,500. Staff told council that, based on current projections, the storm-drain fund is not facing an immediate shortfall for the coming year.

Following the presentations and the public-hearing periods with no on-topic commenters, council adopted the resolutions to submit both assessments to Los Angeles County for inclusion on property tax bills for fiscal year 2026-27.