La Verne : Assessment District Sought

The City Council decided last week to ask voters if they want to create a citywide assessment district to prevent another deficit year.

Though the advisory vote at the November general election would be for a lighting and landscape assessment district, City Manager Martin Lomeli said that would allow money now in the city budget for lighting and landscaping to go for police, fire and other city services.

City officials previously had considered asking voters for a general tax. But Lomeli said that a general tax would have to be either mailed separately or on residents’ municipal services bills. A tax on the municipal services bills might not be deductible from residents’ federal income taxes, and a separate tax bill would be too expensive for the city, he said.