Wildomar council directs staff to update right‑of‑way enhancement application, leaves resident fee unchanged

Wildomar's City Council on Tuesday directed staff to update the city's Right‑of‑Way Enhancement Program application and estimate current Community Facilities District (CFD) annexation costs, while leaving the policy's reduced applicant fee in place.

Public Works Director and City Engineer Jason Farrick told the council the city's February dirt‑road inventory identified roughly 60 miles of unpaved roads and showed improvement cost ranges that vary widely by standard and method. Farrick said full citywide reconstruction to pavement standards could cost in the tens of millions — “as low as $31,000,000 to $75,000,000” depending on chosen standards and scope — and that typical annual maintenance funding (gas tax, Measure A/AA, RMRA and CFDs) is far short of that total.

The city's existing right‑of‑way policy, adopted in 2020, allows residents on unaccepted or privately maintained roads to request city improvement and annexation via a petitioned CFD. That policy requires a two‑thirds resident petition to annex and includes two CFD options: a maintenance‑only district (residents pay ongoing maintenance) or an improvement‑and‑maintenance district (residents amortize upfront construction costs over seven years). Farrick said staff has not yet received a successful petition that met the two‑thirds threshold.

Council members pressed staff on timing, whether the policy's March application window is rigid and how the city could accelerate specific projects. Farrick said the March window was intended to align requests with the budget cycle but noted the council could direct staff to bring a CIP amendment if a resident group wanted to proceed sooner. Councilmember Morabito pressed for clearer communication to residents in District 4, which contains many non‑city‑maintained roads.

After discussion, the council approved a motion (5‑0) directing staff to: update the ROW application to incorporate current CFD documents; estimate the present cost of an annexation (including consultant and staff costs); and propose revised fees only if the council desires. The council explicitly left the existing $2,500 applicant fee unchanged for now.

What happens next: staff will revise the application materials and prepare cost estimates and fee recommendations for future council consideration. Residents interested in pursuing a street improvement petition are encouraged to contact Public Works to start the process described in the updated materials.