San Ramon council to discuss increased assessments, service fees

Local fees and charges are set to be the theme for the San Ramon City Council on Tuesday night (May 13).

Council members are scheduled to discuss whether to increase assessments imposed on properties in the citywide landscaping and lighting zones as well as consider adjusting or re-establishing various municipal service fees.

The discussions are listed among several items for Tuesday’s open-session meeting, set to begin at 7 p.m. inside San Ramon City Hall, 2222 Camino Ramon.

To help fund public lighting and landscaping around San Ramon, property owners within two citywide zones must pay annual assessments toward such projects. The lighting zone includes all properties except those in the Dougherty Valley while the landscaping zone is comprised of all parcels except those in Dougherty Valley and Bishop Ranch.

City staff recommends raising each assessment by 2% — the maximum allowable amount — for the 2014-15 fiscal year. The move would increase the combined annual per-unit assessment by $1.80 to $91.82 overall ($29.06 for lighting and $62.76 for landscaping).

The assessment increases would be used to help build reserves and fund capital improvements, according to city staff. Proposed projects include median landscaping on San Ramon Valley Boulevard (immediately north and south of Crow Canyon Road) and on Bollinger Canyon Road (from Norris Canyon Road to Morgan Drive).

The council is set to consider whether to adopt a resolution of intention to levy and collect the assessments and set a public hearing for final consideration on June 10. There are 17 additional and smaller lighting and landscaping zones across San Ramon, but city staff does not recommend any increases to the assessments for properties within those areas.

Council members are also set to discuss whether to approve of changing or re-establishing various municipal service fees.

City staff suggests fee adjustments in several areas, including inflationary increases for development impact fees within the Westside and North Camino Ramon specific plan areas, higher rates for site development plan check fees, 1.6% increases in rental fees for city athletic facilities and adding preliminary engineering review fees for proposed subdivisions.

San Ramon officials said they anticipate most of the recommended changes would result in no significant fiscal impact.

For a vast majority of municipal fees and charges, city staff recommends the council make no changes and re-establish them at their existing rates.

Reviewing the city’s fee schedule is part of the annual budget process, according to staff.

In other business Tuesday, the council is set to present special recognition to California High students Garen Kissoyan, Kirill Yantikov and Peter Kravariotis, who helped rescue an elderly San Ramon resident from a house fire in March.

San Ramon Police Chief Joe Gorton will introduce recently promoted and newly hired officers. City staff will present an update about City Hall construction.

Council members will also hear reports about the Contra Costa County Animal Services Department, the Transportation Demand Management Advisory Committee’s annual report and the Housing Successor Agency budget and work plan for 2014-15.