City of Gonzales
CITY ATTORNEY
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: June 2, 2025
FROM: Michael Rodriquez, City Attorney
THROUGH: Carmen Gil, City Manager
SUBJECT: Resolutions Providing Preliminary Approval of Engineer's Reports and Setting Date for Approval of Levy and Collection of Assessments
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council consider and adopt:
1. Resolution No. 2025-32 Designating Engineer of Work and District Counsel;
2. Resolutions No. 2025-33 and 2025-34 regarding California Breeze Assessment Districts;
3. Resolutions No. 2025-35 and 2025-36 regarding Canyon Creek Assessment Districts;
4. Resolutions No. 2025-37 and 2025-38 regarding Industrial Park Assessment Districts; and
5. Resolutions No. 2025-39 and 2025-40 regarding Cipriani Assessment Districts.
BACKGROUND
The City has a number of established assessment districts in various locations throughout the City, formed in accordance with the provisions of the Lighting and Landscaping Act of 1972 or the Benefit Assessment Act of 1982. These districts serve to provide funds to finance the costs associated with the maintenance of district improvements. By law (the aforesaid Acts and California Constitution Article XIIID), the City is required to schedule hearings to set the annual assessments for each district. As has been the practice for a number of years, consulting City Engineer Harris & Associates has prepared Engineer’s Reports containing information about each of the assessment districts, the improvements to be served through the collection of the assessments, and the actual amount of each assessment on each impacted parcel. Copies of the Engineer’s Reports were filed with the City Clerk on or about May 23, 2025, and are available for review upon request.
REVIEW & ANALYSIS
AGENDA
ITEM
12 The attached resolutions designate the “Engineer of Work” and District Counsel for the districts, provide for preliminary approval of the Engineer’s Reports for each of the identified assessment districts, declare the Council’s intent to confirm the district diagrams and levy assessments, and set a public hearing date of Monday, July 21, 2025, for consideration, approval and levying of the assessments.
With the exception of the California Breeze Districts, which do not have an allowable CPI inflator, the Maximum Assessment in each District is adjusted by the applicable CPI for the previous year. The Maximum Assessment in each District represents the maximum assessment that can be imposed in a given year. This year, the CPI was 1.270% and it is recommended that all Maximum Assessments be adjusted accordingly.
There is no proposed change in the assessments from last year for any of the California Breeze and Canyon Creek assessment districts. In the Cipriani development, the Parks and Open Spaces assessment will remain the same as the assessment set in FY 2024-2025, while in the Benefit Assessment Districts there will be no change to the assessments for Lots 1-7 and a decrease in the assessment from $750 to $678 for Lots 8-66 and 70-75. In the Industrial Park, assessments in the Parks and Landscape District will increase from $440 to $575 per acre, while in the Benefit Assessment District there will be an increase from $1,305 to $1,500 per acre. The new assessments have been set to adequately address involved maintenance, labor and material costs, and project costs in the coming fiscal year.
Explain Recommendation and How it Supports the Vision
Gonzales will continue to be a safe, clean, family-friendly community, diverse in its heritage, and committed to working collaboratively to preserve and retain its small town charm.
Explain: The assessments fund the maintenance of various improvements located within the involved subdivisions. Regular and routine maintenance of such improvements helps to preserve the safe and attractive environment the City strives to provide for its citizens.
Explain how the Recommendation Directly Implements the Mission The City Council and Staff of the City of Gonzales will realize our Vision by providing the leadership, commitment and resources necessary to provide excellent services that enhance the quality of life of our diverse community. X Yes No
Explain: Collection of the assessments will provide financing for the maintenance of a variety of improvements that enhance the quality of life in both the involved subdivisions and the City as a whole.
City services will be delivered in a cost-effective, respectful and friendly manner to ensure the safety and well being of the residents and the promotion of business, recreational, housing and employment opportunities in an environmentally sustainable manner. X Yes No Explain: The proposed assessments will allow the City to maintain a variety of improvements that ensure residential safety and promote local housing opportunities by maintaining a healthy housing stock.
Strong fiscal policies allow us to provide appropriate infrastructure for:
• Public Safety X Yes No NA
• Housing X Yes No NA
• Recreation Yes No X NA
• Environment Yes No X NA
• Education Yes No X NA
Explain: The creation and annual collection of assessments enables the City to maintain improvements vital to public safety and the ongoing well-being of portions of the City’s housing stock.
ALTERNATIVES
None at this time.
BUDGET IMPACT
The City will have to incur the cost of subdivision maintenance, or allow the same to lapse, if the assessments are not approved and levied.
CONCLUSION
The Council should initiate the first step in its annual process of considering and levying assessments in various assessment districts in the City by adopting the attached resolutions. Said assessments provide the City with the means of covering the costs of maintenance responsibilities for improvements in each district.
Attachments:
1. Resolution No. 2025-32