Higher Assessment for Dredging Backed

A homeowner assessment for dredging the Ventura Keys, a system of canals winding behind some of the city’s most expensive beach-area homes, was given preliminary approval Monday by the Ventura City Council.

Last year, Keys homeowners paid $1,733 each to keep their back-yard channels free of silt and debris. This year, that fee could rise to about $2,000 per household.

The council voted 5 to 2 to approve an engineer’s report recommending the higher assessment. The issue will be discussed again at two public hearings before the council takes a final vote in June. Councilmen Jim Monahan and Jack Tingstrom opposed the measure.

However, city officials and Keys homeowners say they may soon settle a lawsuit brought against the city by the homeowners, making the increased taxes a moot subject.

Under terms of the settlement, stemming from a lawsuit filed by nearly a third of the 300 homeowners in the assessment district, Keys residents would each pay $685 for last year and $749 for this year’s dredging assessments, with an increase of no more than $64 per year after that.

Most of the homeowners in the assessment district have said they will go along with the settlement. However, 49 residents have not responded to the offer, and 11 have refused it.