Carpinteria City Manager Michael presented the proposed Landscape Maintenance District update as a way to capture costs for right-of-way landscaping, tree care and related maintenance that the presentation said have been deferred for years.

Staff said the district, created in 1996, covers roughly 184 acres of public land, approximately 3,000 public street trees and services such as irrigation, graffiti abatement and curb/sidewalk repair. The presentation stated district collections total about $200,000 today while full identified program needs were approximately $1,150,000, leaving an estimated shortfall of about $1,000,000 carried by the general fund.

Michael told attendees the proposed 2025 assessment would be about $165.76 per parcel annually (about $13.81 per month), which staff say would allow the district to avoid ongoing deferred maintenance, reduce liability exposure from damaged sidewalks and tree failures, and protect neighborhood character and urban forest health. The engineer's report informs parcel charges by parcel size and assigned benefit; the district would include a CPI escalation mechanism to preserve purchasing power over time.

During a Zoom question, a resident asked whether it is fair to ask property owners to pay for deferred maintenance the city did not address earlier. Michael acknowledged that fairness is a valid concern, said staff had discussed it, and argued that leaving maintenance deferred increases future costs to the general fund. He reiterated that the Prop 218 process restricts the city from advocating on the ballot and encouraged property owners to review the engineer's report and vote.