VENTURA : Council to Decide on Dredging Levy
The Ventura City Council today will consider whether to tax Ventura Keys homeowners for dredging the silt out of their back-yard waterways.
The Keys homeowners, who are expected to protest the assessment, could be charged $1,733 annually.
Keys residents, who number about 300, say the city and the county should pay for the cleanup because runoff from the Arundell Barranca and 28 city drains is responsible for polluting the Keys. City officials, however, argue that Keys homeowners stand to gain the most from the dredging and should foot three-quarters of the bill.
The maintenance assessment district was formed in September, 1991, amid loud objections from Keys residents.
Less than a month after the council formed the district, some Keys homeowners filed a lawsuit in Ventura County Superior Court. Several other lawsuits have since been filed, and all are pending.
By state law, the council must hold two public hearings every year before deciding whether to levy the assessment. After the second public hearing on Monday night, the council will vote on the tax.
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