Simi Raises Homeowners’ Landscaping Fees by 17% : Public works: Next fiscal year, residents who are now paying $776 yearly will pay $899 for maintenance.

Simi Valley will charge residents about 17% more per year to prune hedges, plant flowers and water hillsides in median strips and other public areas, despite homeowners’ concerns that the fees for landscaping are already too high.

The City Council agreed unanimously to the increase over the protests of several homeowners, who argued that they pay too much for maintaining public grounds near their homes. The new fees will be as high as $900 per residence in some newer neighborhoods.

But according to a staff report, residents are only paying part of the cost of landscaping near their residences.

When a new development is built, the city bills residents for a portion of the cost for landscape maintenance and pays the rest out of developer fees.

As the developer fees dwindle, the city increases the share charged to residents. Eventually, homeowners end up paying the entire cost.

For instance, in Indian Hills the actual annual cost for maintaining median strips, roadways and grassy slopes is $974 per homeowner, with the residents charged a portion of the cost.

For the current fiscal year, the city charges Indian Hills residents $776 and makes up the difference with developer fees. Beginning in 1994-95, with the council-approved increase, those residents will pay $899.

Fees in different areas vary depending on how much landscaping is required, ranging from nothing to $900 a year.

At Monday’s council meeting, Indian Hills resident Charles Padalecki told the council the charge is too high.

“I think the amount due is totally unjustified,” Padalecki said. “We need to either look for another landscaper or give the parcels back to the residents to maintain themselves.”

Mayor Greg Stratton invited residents interested in doing the landscaping themselves to contact the city Public Works Department. But he said he believes the costs are justified.

“Keeping lawns and trees watered and paying all the costs associated with that is not cheap,” Stratton said. “It’s just a fact we have to live with.”

Changes in state law last year that required cities to give residents 45 days notice of plans to increase rates prevented Simi Valley from raising its fees, so residents are being hit with two years worth of increases, City Manager Lin Koester told the council.

In a letter to the council, residents Betty and Jack Lewis criticized the timing of the increase.

“To have any additional assessments at this time, when residents are borrowing money to pay for earthquake damage, seems very untimely,” the letter said.

Hoping to ease the financial burden on residents hit hard by the Jan. 17 quake, Councilman Bill Davis suggested reducing or holding off on increases for another year.

But other council members opposed postponing the fee hike, saying that without an increase this year, the bill next year would jump twice as much.

“We’re not accomplishing anything by postponing,” Councilwoman Judy Mikels said. “We’re just delaying, and next year it will just be worse.”

The council asked staff members to include with the annual fee increase notices sent to residents an explanation of the actual cost of service, including how much homeowners pay and the share covered by developer fees.

“I don’t think people understand how this works,” Mikels said. “We could save everyone a lot of grief if we let them know what the service really costs.”