Road-Finance Plan Meets With Rejection

A proposal to bring the Borchard Road extension into compliance with city codes and require Dos Vientos homeowners to pay the road costs has been rejected by the City Council.

The plan, which involved homeowner-backed bonds and was proposed by Councilman Dan Del Campo, was rejected Tuesday night by a 3-2 vote.

The special tax bonds Del Campo had proposed, called Mello-Roos bonds, are used to build schools, roads and other construction projects. Cities issue them by establishing a special Mello-Roos district, which taxes all homeowners within its borders. Voters must approve the bonds. Under Del Campos’ proposal, the district would have included only the Dos Vientos homes, located in Newbury Park.

“They didn’t even want to explore it, which was the purpose of bringing it before the council in the first place, to take an opportunity to look at the proposal,” Del Campo said.

Other council members wanted to avoid using a tax to solve the problem.

Under the plan the money would be used to build the road, which will feed the 2,350-unit, $700-million planned community, so that it reaches the city’s recommended standard grade of 5%. The council in July 1996 permitted the road to reach a grade of as high as 12%, but reversed its position in July 1998 after some residents expressed concerns over traffic safety.