STAFF REPORT
City of Lancaster
PH 7
7/14/2026
TN
Date:July 14, 2026
To: Mayor Parris and City Council Members
From: Patti Garibay, Director – Community Development
Nicole Jones, Manager – Community Development
Subject:Lancaster Drainage Benefit Assessment District Annual Assessment for Fiscal Year 2026/27
Recommendation:
Open the public hearing on the Fiscal Year 2026/27 annual assessment for the Lancaster Drainage Benefit Assessment District, receive testimony, and adopt Resolution No. 26-__, continuing the public hearing to Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at 1:30 p.m., and directing publication of notice.
G.C. Section 84308: No
Fiscal Impact:
Parcels annexed prior to Fiscal Year 2005/06 will be assessed $50 per equivalent drainage unit, which is the same as the previous year’s assessment. Lots and parcels annexed beginning Fiscal Year 2005/06 will be assessed $92.53 per equivalent drainage unit, which includes the 2.93% CPI adjustment. An estimated total of $2,326,551.99 will be assessed against the benefiting properties and will be used for maintenance expenses.
Background:
The City Council previously formed the Lancaster Drainage Benefit Assessment District, including the establishment of separate zones, and submitted the proposition to the eligible voters in each respective zone. The majority of voters approved the formation of the District, the separate zones, and the levying of the assessment. The first year’s assessment was paid by the developers of the property. Each year, thereafter, the City Council, after public notice and hearing, may determine and impose an annual assessment. Due to the cost and complexity of accounting for separate zones of benefit within the District, separate zone designations were eliminated in 1992 per Resolution 92-134, by City Council action.
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Funds collected through the Drainage Benefit Assessment District are used to maintain the City’s completed and accepted drainage infrastructure within the District.
Assessment Rates for Fiscal Year 2026/27
Parcels annexed before FY 2005/06
oAnnual assessment remains $50.00 per Equivalent Drainage Unit (EDU). This rate is unchanged from FY 2004/05.
Parcels annexed in FY 2005/06 or later
oAssessments are adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Los Angeles–Riverside–Orange Counties region.
oThe approved CPI adjustment for FY 2026/27 is 2.93%. The assessment increases from $89.90 to $92.53 per assessment unit.
How Assessments Are Calculated
•Assessments are based on the amount of stormwater runoff generated by each property. •Properties with more impervious surfaces (such as rooftops, parking lots, and pavement) contribute more runoff and are therefore assessed a proportionately larger share of the maintenance costs.
•Additional details regarding the assessment methodology are available in the accompanying Engineer’s Report and Assessment.
Notice of the public hearing is required to be published before the hearing may be concluded. So that publication may be completed, staff recommends that the City Council open the public hearing, receive testimony, and continue the hearing, without closing it, to the City Council’s regular meeting of August 11, 2026, at 1:30 p.m., in the Council Chambers. Notice of the continued hearing will be published on July 28 and August 4, 2026 pursuant to Government Code section 6066, as provided in the attached resolution. The resolution confirming the diagram and assessments and ordering the levy will be presented for adoption at the continued hearing on August 11, 2026.
Attachments:
1. Resolution No. 26-__ — continuing the public hearing to August 11, 2026 and directing publication of notice.
2. Final Engineer’s Report.