Council advances Prop 218 process for maintenance districts, schedules July 20 hearing for Swanson Park improvements

The council approved the second step in the Prop 218 assessment process for five special maintenance districts and separately approved the Prop 218 balloting procedures for a proposed increased assessment in Westwood Country to fund Swanson Park capital improvements.

Staff explained they had strengthened transparency for the process with redlined engineer reports, itemized transaction summaries, and individualized mailers and QR codes for each affected parcel. The proposed Swanson Park capital work carries an estimated cost of $266,580, which staff proposed to fund across fiscal years 2026–27 and 2027–28 to lower the annual assessment impact. Because the proposed assessment exceeds the current adjusted maximum rate, state law (Prop 218) requires mailed balloting to property owners; staff set a July 20, 2026 public hearing and ballot schedule under the adopted resolutions.

Council adopted both a consolidated resolution preliminarily approving engineers' reports for the five districts and the separate resolutions establishing intent to levy the increased assessment and the formal balloting procedures required under Prop 218 for Westwood Country. Staff said they will mail notices to affected parcel owners describing expenditures and how assessments were calculated and will host materials online via the public notices page.

What’s next: a mailed ballot and a July 20 public hearing will determine whether the Swanson Park assessment increase becomes final; staff will report results and next steps after balloting.