CITY OF HERCULES Notice of Public Hearing Concerning Your Landscaping & Lighting Assessment District No. 83-2 Zone 6 Village Parkway - Westwood ...
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CITY OF HERCULES
Notice of Public Hearing Concerning Your
Landscaping & Lighting Assessment District No. 83-2
(Zone 6 Village Parkway – Westwood Duets)
Why am I receiving this notice?
Hercules The wood streetlights along Hercules Avenue, Village Parkway and in your
City Council Westwood Duets neighborhood are failing and need to be replaced,
landscape maintenance along Village Parkway and Hercules Avenue has
Public Hearing
been discontinued due to insufficient funding, and your neighborhood is
not contributing its full share of funding to maintain landscaping and
Tuesday streetlighting located along the City’s major roadways.
July 13, 2021
To address these deficiencies, the City is proposing an assessment
At 7:00 PM
increase to $139 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22, for your Westwood Duets
neighborhood in Zone 6 (Village Parkway). Of the total $115.08 proposed
City Council Chambers annual increase, $67 will end after 10 years (i.e. after FY 2030-31) once
111 Civic Drive, the streetlights have been paid off. Since the interior streetlights within
Hercules, CA 94547 the Westwood Duets neighborhood are City maintained vs. HOA
maintained, the proposed annual assessment increase for Westwood
Duets is higher than the other condominium neighborhoods in Zone 6
CITY COUNCIL (Village Parkway).
Mayor If approved by majority vote of the property owners, the additional
Chris Kelley funding will be used to replace the failing wood pole streetlights with new
streetlights with low maintenance, long-last metal poles and energy-
Vice Mayor efficient LED lights, allow the landscaping and streetlighting maintenance
along Village Parkway and Hercules Avenue to resume, as well as allow
Dion Bailey the neighborhood to contribute their full share of funding for maintenance
of landscaping and streetlighting located along the City’s major roadways.
Council Members
The $67 portion of the proposed assessment increase that will end after
Alexander Walker-Griffin 10 years will pay off the new streetlights and eliminate the zone’s fund
Dan Romero deficit that has accumulated over the years due to insufficient assessment
Tiffany Grimsley revenue.
A further description of the proposed assessment increase is provided on
CITY OFFICIALS Page 2 of this notice.
Interim City Manager What is a Landscaping and Lighting Assessment District (LLAD)?
Steven Falk Hercules’ LLADs play an important role in our community and provide for the
maintenance of our City’s streetlights, parks, roadway landscaping, and open
City Attorney spaces. Because of this, the sustainability of our LLADs is critical in helping keep
J. Patrick Tang our neighborhoods attractive and safe. The services provided are categorized
broadly into two types: streetlighting and landscaping.
Public Works Director
& City Engineer Adequately lit streets maintain safe neighborhoods and improve the appearance of
property frontage at night. Streetlighting also keeps our streets safe for drivers
Mike Roberts and pedestrians alike. At night or in bad weather, drivers and pedestrians can
better see one another, traffic signs, and bicyclists.
Finance Director
Edwin Gato The landscaping services provide for healthy and well-maintained neighborhood
and city parks, recreation facilities, open space and landscaping improvements.
Admin Services Routine landscape maintenance along city public roadways, parks, and open spaces
Director/City Clerk such as mowing, weed abatement, trash and debris pick-up, keep our
neighborhoods properly maintained while increasing safety and plant health during
Lori Martin
years of drought. Landscaping is pruned at medians and other areas, so drivers
have good sight vision at city intersections. These efforts also include graffiti
removal from public property.
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What are the accountability measures?
All funds generated by your Zone 6 (Village Parkway) assessments are
deposited into a separate fund that, by law, can only be spent to maintain
and improve landscape and lighting services.
Village Parkway
Landscaping What types of improvements/services will be provided in Zone
6if the proposed assessment increases are approved?
The failing wooden streetlight poles along Hercules Ave, Village Pkwy, and
within your Westwood Duets neighborhood will be replaced with cost-
effective LED streetlighting on metal poles.
Weed abatement services in open space areas which can help reduce the
spread of fires.
Maintenance of medians located along Hercules Ave and Village Pkwy.
On-going maintenance of streetlighting located along Hercules Ave,
Failing wooden pole Village Pkwy, and within the Westwood Duets neighborhood.
streetlights to be Cover the zone’s full share of maintenance for landscaping and
replaced streetlighting located along the City’s major roadways.
How is the annual assessment to each parcel determined?
Assessments are proposed on all parcels that receive a direct and special benefit from the
improvements within LLAD No. 83-2. The amount of each proposed assessment was calculated
based upon the proportional special benefit received by each parcel to be assessed. Because
there are varying degrees of landscaping, lighting, and park improvements throughout the City,
LLAD No. 83-2 has been divided into eleven (11) benefit zones. Maintenance of the landscaping,
lighting, and park improvements benefitting each zone are then shared among the parcels within
the respective benefit zone. Annual assessment rates are based upon the following:
; The use of the parcel (e.g., single-family, condominium, apartment, commercial)
; All residential parcels (single-family, condominium, etc.) are assessed on a per unit basis.
; All non-residential parcels (commercial, industrial, institutional, etc.) are assessed on an
acreage basis.
How much will my parcel be assessed?
The FY 2021-22 maximum assessment for each condominium unit within the Westwood Duets
neighborhood is proposed to increase from $23.92 to $139.00 per year. This increase consists
of a $72 per year maximum assessment for annual maintenance and operations and a $67 per
year assessment for streetlight replacement and eliminating the zone’s accumulated deficit.
The $72 per year maximum assessment is needed to cover operating and maintenance expenses
and will increase each subsequent fiscal year by the prior year’s change in the annual Consumer
Price Index (All Urban Consumers for San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA) to keep up with
inflationary increases for goods and services.
In addition, a 10-year assessment of $67 per year is proposed to pay for the replacement of
failing streetlights with new streetlights and eliminate a fund deficit that has accumulated over
the years. This 10-year assessment is fixed, will not be increased each subsequent fiscal year,
and will end after FY 2030-31.
Therefore, the total proposed FY 2021-22 maximum assessment for each condominium within
the Westwood Duets neighborhood as shown on the enclosed ballot is summarized as follows:
$72/year + $67/year = $139/year
If the assessment increase is approved, Zone 6 would contribute $91,741 in FY 2021-22 to the
approximately $1.99 million contributed by public and private property owners within all zones
of LLAD No. 83-2 in FY 2021-22. The assessment increase shown above would be levied by the
City beginning July 1, 2021 if approved by the Zone 6 (Village Parkway) property owners. For a
detailed description of how your proposed annual assessment was calculated, refer to the
Engineer’s Report on file with the City Clerk, and posted online at:
www.ci.hercules.ca.us/LightingLandscaping.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR PROPERTY OWNERS
Q How do I vote?
Enclosed with this Notice of Public Hearing
is your ballot, along with a self-addressed,
postage-paid return envelope.
What determines majority support vs.
majority protest?
If a majority of the Zone 6 (Village Parkway)
ballots returned approve the proposed
&
assessment increase, it will be imposed. If a
; The ballot must be completed by the majority of the Zone 6 (Village Parkway)
property owner(s), or an authorized ballots returned oppose the proposed
representative, indicating the assessment increase, the current
property owner’s support for, or assessment will continue to be imposed.
Ballots are weighted according to the
A
opposition to, the proposed annual
assessment increase. proportional financial obligation of the
affected properties. This means one vote for
; For your ballot to be counted, you each one dollar of assessment.
must clearly mark the appropriate
box, sign the ballot, seal it in the When will we know the results?
enclosed envelope, and return it to The results of the ballot tabulation will be
the City Clerk of the City of Hercules reported to City Council on July 27, 2021.
by mail or hand deliver.
Who do I call with questions?
; Completed ballots must be received For questions about landscape,
at the address shown on the enclosed streetlighting, or park maintenance,
return envelope by 5:00 p.m. on July please call the City’s Public Works
13, 2021, or hand delivered to the Director, Mike Roberts, at (510) 799-
City Clerk before the end of the public 8241.
input portion of the Public Hearing
that same evening. For questions about the assessments,
voting procedures or process, please
; The Public Hearing begins at 7:00 call Consultant, Ed Espinoza, at (925)
p.m. on July 13, 2021, at the City 867-3400.
Council Chambers, 111 Civic Drive,
Hercules, CA. For more information regarding
the landscaping and lighting
; If you return the ballot by mail, be updates please visit:
www.ci.hercules.ca.us/LightingLandscaping
sure to allow sufficient time for mail
or call the City’s main line at:
delivery.
(510) 799-8200.
When will the ballots be counted?
A Public Hearing will be held on July 13,
2021, in the Hercules City Council
Chambers. City Council will receive public
testimony and formally accept the ballots.
The ballots will be counted at 11:00 am the
following day at City Hall. Placeholder for Hercules
City Hall photo
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