WILLIAMS, CA (MPG) – Williams officials learned July 15 that assessments collected in the Valley Ranch Landscape and Lighting District no longer cover the full cost of maintaining parks, landscaping and streetlights, setting the stage for a possible Proposition 218 assessment increase.
A cost review requested by the Williams City Council in June estimated the district’s annual cost at around $228,700, or $397 per parcel. The fiscal year 2026-27 assessment approved by the council, including the annual Consumer Price Index adjustment, is about $150 short of that.
The item was continued from the council’s previous meeting after council members requested additional analysis. Because there was not enough time to complete the formal engineer’s report required before this year’s assessment deadline, the council instead reviewed a cost analysis prepared by City Engineer Dave Harden.
Councilmember Don Parsons said the findings confirmed concerns he has raised for several years that the city was relying on outdated information to establish the annual assessment.
“The failure to do the engineer’s report year after year is probably going to require a Proposition 218 process in the future because the current rate is not funding adequately,” Parsons said.
The Valley Ranch Landscape and Lighting Assessment District, established in 1998, includes 576 parcels and funds maintenance of Valley Vista Park, Sierra Oaks Park, landscaping along Vann Street and Ruggieri Way, irrigation systems and 106 streetlights.
City Attorney Andreas Booher said the city will need to complete a formal engineer’s report and begin the Proposition 218 process next year if the council chooses to pursue an assessment increase. He said there was not enough time to complete the legally required process before this year’s property tax deadline.
City Manager Yvonne Kimball said the updated analysis gives the council current cost information as it considers the district’s long-term funding needs. She also noted that many agencies leave assessments unchanged from year to year rather than conducting engineering reviews annually.
According to Harden’s analysis, annual Consumer Price Index adjustments have generally kept pace with inflation but have not generated enough revenue to fully fund long-term maintenance and replacement of the district’s infrastructure. Much of the funding gap reflects unfunded capital replacement costs rather than routine maintenance.
The council directed staff to prepare a formal engineer’s report for next year and approved the fiscal year 2026-27 assessment, increasing the annual levy to $241.88 per parcel through the allowable Consumer Price Index adjustment. Parsons cast the lone dissenting vote after arguing the current assessment no longer reflects the district’s actual costs.