Water Taxes to Be Cut for 65,000 Residents
Water taxes for 65,000 residents of Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita will be reduced this fiscal year through cost-saving measures by the Santa Margarita Water District, officials said this week.
Rancho Santa Margarita residents will see the biggest savings, with a reduction of 14 cents for each $100 of the value of their homes. That will be an annual savings of about $280 for a $200,000 residence, said John Schatz, general manager of the water district.
In Mission Viejo, homeowners will get a reduction of 3 cents for each $100 of home value, or savings of $60 on a $200,000 home, officials said.
Property owners in the water district are assessed an annual fee to pay off the bonds that financed a number of district projects, including a water reclamation plant.
Schatz said the reductions are part of an overall reevaluation by the district.
Adjustments are being made on a community-by-community basis, Schatz said. In Mission Viejo, for example, the water district is reducing homeowners’ assessment by postponing major improvements such as construction of new reservoirs.
“We decided to hold the line instead of investing in new capitol projects,” Schatz said.
In Rancho Santa Margarita, the district decided to charge residents less and increase taxes for owners of undeveloped land.
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