Power Line Assessment Rejected in Mission Viejo

Residents of northern Mission Viejo overwhelmingly rejected an assessment tax that would have buried 3.1 miles of new power lines, City Manager Dennis Wilberg said Tuesday.

Of about 2,700 ballots cast by property owners, 82% were against creating an assessment district, Wilberg said.

The $10.8-million project would have cost property owners $154 to $3,083 each over a 20-year period. The cost was determined by the effect the power lines had on a property owner’s view: the more the project would have increased a home’s value, the higher the assessment.

Ballots were mailed in September to more than 5,000 houses near the power lines. The election results were announced Monday night at the City Council meeting. The votes were weighted based on each property’s assessment; the higher the tax, the greater vote share the property owner was accorded.

The council opted in July to hold the election after the California Public Utilities Commission indicated it would approve Edison’s application for overhead power lines. Wilberg said Edison workers would begin building H-frame towers along the company’s right-of-way in January.