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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2a: Direction for Public Outreach Plan for the Citywide Street Lighting Assessment DistrictDATE: May 4, 2010 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Tom Tait, Public Works Services Director Prepared by: Maria A. Taylor, Senior Management Analyst SUMMARY DISCUSSION Page 1 of 3 STAFF REPORT Public Works Services Department SUBJECT: UPDATE ON THE PUBLIC OUTREACH EFFORTS FOR THE RE- BALLOTING OF THE CITYWIDE STREET LIGHTING ASSESSMENT DISTRICT Recommendation: Receive and File The existing Street Lighting Assessment district will expire in June 30, 2010. Arcadia property owners pay forty (40) percent of the total cost to maintain and repair street lights while the City pays the remaining sixty (60) percent. Without a property owner approved, extension, the City will loose approximately $420,000 in revenue annually. The City was unsuccessful in November 2008 when the issue was placed before the property owners. In order to enhance public outreach efforts, staff felt that it was necessary to retain a professional public outreach consultant to assist in the re- balloting efforts for the extension of the Street Lighting Assessment District. On March 2, 2010, the City Council awarded a contract with the Lew Group to help the City improve its chances in successfully passing a citywide Street Lighting Assessment District. As a result, staff has put together a team to work with the consultant in developing a public outreach strategy for the proposed Street Lighting Assessment District. The purpose of this report is to give the City Council an update on public outreach efforts to date and the proposed balloting for the street lighting assessment district. The current Ad Valorem Tax for the lighting district will sunset on June 30, 2010, which means that the City will lose the funding that the district provides to help pay for a portion of the street lighting maintenance and operating costs. Unfortunately, the November 2008 ballot that would have established a new lighting assessment district was not approved by the property owners. Mayor and City Council May 4, 2010 The City Council and staff identified the major reason for the failure of the 2008 ballot was because the issue was too complex for property owners to understand what they were voting for and the public outreach efforts utilized at that time were inadequate in educating and informing the property owners regarding the need to extend the street lighting assessment. For this reason, the City Council awarded a contract with the Lew Group to help the City improve its chances in successfully passing a citywide Street Lighting Assessment District by enhancing public outreach. Since then staff has put together a team to work collaboratively with the consultant in developing a public outreach strategy that will effectively communicate to the property owners the proposed Citywide Street Lighting Assessment District. The City cannot legally campaign for or against the formation of a Street Lighting Assessment District. However, the approach is to work with the City Attorney to provide fair and impartial information to property owners about the upcoming mail ballot for the extension of the Street Lighting Assessment District. Moreover, the City has already mailed out a couple of pieces of information and talked to individual property owners regarding the proposed Street lighting Assessment District. Handouts are being developed and will be mailed out to property owners to provide accurate and relevant facts to help property owners understand the issue so they can make an informed judgment regarding the ballot measure. It is important to note that all materials composed and distributed to the public are reviewed and approved by the City Attorney to ensure that they are not advocacy in nature. Public Outreach Plan The City will inform the community regarding the lighting district assessment via the following public means of communication: Written Materials /Direct Mail • May Hot Sheet — to be mailed with the water bills by the end of April • Special Mailer No. 1 — to be mailed to single - family property owners by the first week of May • Targeted letter to larger multi - family property owners in May • June Hot Sheet — to be mailed with the water bills by the end of May • Special Mailer No. 2 — "Remember to Vote" postcard to be mailed to property owners by the end of May • City Newsletter — to be mailed the first week of June for the summer edition, with the first publication during March (spring 2010 edition) notifying the public regarding the upcoming mail ballot for the street Tight assessment • Pending City Council action, the ballot and notice of public hearing will be mailed on June 4 Page 2 of 3 Mayor and City Council May 4, 2010 Community Outreach • Contact major businesses in Arcadia such as the mall, race track, and the Hub Shopping Center in May • Contact institutional agencies such as the County and the School District in May • Presentations at City Commission and larger community organization meetings • Arcadia Firefighters' Association Annual Pancake Breakfast — PWS staff will have a booth to talk about the proposed balloting for the street lighting assessment district and hand out information Website • Informational documents about the proposed District have been posted to the City website; most will be made available in Chinese. City staff will continue to update the City Council on the public outreach plan that staff and the Lew Group have developed to inform the property owners regarding the upcoming re- balloting of the citywide lighting assessment district. FISCAL IMPACT TT: MT Approved by: 3 of 3 The Capital Improvement Program includes a Street Lighting Assessment District Project for $136,300 which includes a budget for public outreach efforts. RECOMMENDATIONS Receive and File. Donald Penman, City Manager