STAFF REPORT
City of Lancaster
Date: July 23, 2024
To: Mayor Parris and City Council Members
From: Larissa De La Cruz, Director – Community Development Nicole Jones, Senior Analyst – Community Development
Subject: Lancaster Lighting Maintenance District
Levy of Annual Assessment for Fiscal Year 2024-2025
Recommendation:
Adopt Resolution No. 24-__, confirming the diagram and assessments, and ordering the levy of an assessment in the Lancaster Lighting Maintenance District for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.
Fiscal Impact:
Each benefit unit will be assessed $127.26, which includes a 3.36% CPI adjustment ($45 in zones that voted "no" during the 2003 election). An estimated total of $6,691,600 will be assessed a g a i n s t the benefiting properties, which will be used for maintenance expenses.
Background:
On March 11, 2003, the City Council directed that an election be held asking the property owners within the Lancaster Lighting Maintenance District (LLMD) to approve an increase in the annual street lighting assessment to $70 per lighting unit, including a Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflator.
Lancaster Lighting Maintenance District was formed, including subsequent annexations thereto, for the purpose of financing maintenance operations and installation of public lighting facilities, including, but not limited to street lights and public parking lot lights (public lighting facilities) (as defined in §22525 of the California Code) within the City of Lancaster, and assessing those properties, which benefit from this service their proportionate share of the cost. Each year, the City Council must, by law, order the preparation of an Engineer’s Report describing the existing and proposed maintenance services, and conduct a public hearing to establish and order the amount of assessment for the next fiscal year.
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2 Last year’s rate was $123.13. For Fiscal Year 2024-25, the rate of assessment will be $127.26 per lighting unit, including the established CPI adjustment of 3.36% ($123.13+ ($123.13 x 0.0336 = $4.137168) ($123.13+ $4.13 = $127.26), except for those parcels within the zones that voted "no", as shown on in the Engineer’s Report, which will remain at $45 per lighting unit.
The street lighting improvements in the areas within the District will be maintained with funds generated by the Lighting Maintenance District. Each lot or parcel within the District that has been annexed as indicated on the diagram will be assessed a unit assessment of $127.26 for Fiscal Year 2024-25. Parcels within the zones that voted "no" will remain at a unit assessment of $45.
The City purchased approximately 18,000 streetlights from Southern California Edison in 2017.
Bonds were issued to pay the cost of acquisition of the streetlights within the Lancaster Lighting Maintenance District, and will be secured by assessments levied in each subsequent fiscal year until the bonds are retired.
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Attachments:
Resolution No. 24-__
Final Engineer’s Report