Assess Those Who Benefit

On July 17, the city manager and council of Port Hueneme passed an assessment to cover maintenance of the landscaping and parkways along four streets in the city, and they made the assessment district citywide. Their rationale was arrived at “because most, if not all, Port Hueneme citizens utilize these streets and enjoy the environment provided by the landscaping.”

Actually, the people who live closest to the landscaped streets benefit more from them being well maintained than the people who live on the other side of town. The manicured medians also contribute to the aesthetics and value of the nearby properties.

The City Council and manager should, therefore, create a special assessment district for those people who live near these streets so they will contribute their fair share toward maintaining the landscaping. Since there is only one other source of income to cover these maintenance expenses, these people should pay a major portion of the cost of the upkeep. This could be apportioned on the basis of proximity to these roads, the amount of square feet in each property, and, of course, whether the owners can see the landscaping from their homes. The balance of the expenses would come out of the general fund, to which everyone contributes, including those living near these streets.

And why not? Just such a precedent was recently set by the same officials in their special assessment on those living near Hueneme Beach Park.

And how about the city’s other parks? A survey would undoubtedly show that most of the people who use the parks live within walking distance. People who live near parks obviously use them more and derive more benefit from having them well kept than people from other parts of the town who may never use them.

In fact, everyone who lives near an area that is currently landscaped by the city would pay for this service and privilege. The whole city should be restructured around a payment scale to aim at those few who benefit more.

Unfortunately, those who benefit the most from all these improvements cannot be assessed, i.e., the city officials, who, with the creation of special discriminatory assessment districts, will now be able to afford the raises they just gave themselves.

EVE RISER-ROBERTS

MIKE ROBERTS, Port Hueneme