Stockton Council OKs city ballots for Mossdale Tract flood-assessment effort

The Stockton City Council voted unanimously May 21 to authorize the city manager to cast ballots on behalf of city‑owned parcels for a proposed San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency (SJAFCA) assessment covering the Mossdale Tract area.

Kim Floyd, SJAFCA public outreach manager, told the council the agency is seeking to form an assessment district that would help fund a proposed $473 million levee‑improvement project intended to provide 200‑year flood protection. Floyd said the project’s estimated local cost share is about $132.5 million; roughly 70% of that would be paid by future development, leaving approximately $31 million to be made up by an annual property assessment that the agency estimates would raise about $2.6 million initially. Ballots were mailed to property owners May 4 and must be returned by the agency’s public hearing on June 20; the vote is weighted by proposed assessment dollars, Floyd said.

The matter drew supportive comments from council members, including Councilmember Dan Wright, who said the cost of inaction could far exceed the proposed assessment, and Councilmember Blauer, who described the proposal as “absolutely critical.” Vice Mayor Walmsley said the joint‑powers board has delivered measurable projects and that the assessment is important to protect lives and infrastructure.

Floyd said outreach to date has been extensive but noted that reaching all 22,000 affected properties is difficult; she said SJAFCA had contacted roughly 2,000 residents in person and will continue community meetings, social‑media posts and a hotline. She described an expected assessment distribution in which 94% of parcels would pay less than $150 per year and roughly 5,900 property owners would pay $25 or less. Floyd contrasted the assessment with the average mandatory flood‑insurance premium she cited — about $1,700 per year — and said a Prop. 218 assessment would provide prevention rather than post‑flood recovery.

By council direction, the city will return ballots on city parcels before the June 20 deadline. If a weighted majority of returned ballots favors the assessment, the agency board could adopt and implement it at its July 18 meeting; a majority protest (more ‘no’ dollars than ‘yes’ dollars) would prevent implementation. The council’s authorization covered only how the city’s ballots are cast; no further municipal financial commitments were made at the May 21 meeting.