Claremont : Assessment District OKd

The City Council has voted unanimously to form a landscaping and lighting assessment district that will cost the average homeowner nearly $93 a year.

The council took action even though 7,000 people signed petitions against the plan. However, city officials said the protesters own no more than 28% of the property to be assessed, and many do not own property in the city.

The new fees will take effect July 1. The council has adopted an assessment formula that taxes property on the basis of its size and use. The assessment, designed to raise $1.2 million a year, applies to all private property in the city.