Assessment District Formed

The Palos Verdes Estates City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the formation of an assessment district to pay for fire services, while eliminating two current parcel taxes.

The vote came after more than an hour of testimony, most of it in opposition to the plan.

The assessment, which does not have to be approved by voters, eliminates the need for the parcel taxes, which residents had to approve every four years, to pay for a portion of emergency services and parks and street improvements. Most of the parcel taxes funded fire services, City Manager James Hendrickson said.

City officials, afraid that the city’s financial stability would be threatened if one or both parcel taxes were not approved, have been seeking a more permanent source of revenue.

Under the district, which will last five years, property owners will pay a flat $150, plus slightly more than 8 1/2 cents for every square foot of dwelling. Thus, a resident with a 2,400-square-foot home would pay $356.20--about the same as under the current parcel tax system. The assessment will be included in December’s property tax bills.