T.O. WEIGHING PROP. 218 OPTIONS; COUNCIL WORKSHOP TO ADDRESS LIGHTING, LANDSCAPING TAXES.Byline: Kevin KEVIN Keepers of the Eternal Vigilance of the Islamic Nation (fictional, from White Teeth by Zadie Smith) F. Sherry sherry [from Jérez], naturally dry fortified wine, pale amber to brown in tint. The term sherry originally referred to wines made from grapes grown in the region of Jérez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain; today it may refer to any of the Daily News Staff Writer Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. could divide itself into 50 separate lighting and landscaping districts to let each area of the city decide whether to pay taxes to continue those services. That's one of the options that will be considered at tonight's City Council workshop on the effects of Proposition 218 and how to ask voters to continue the city's lighting and landscaping taxes. Unlike some cities that rely almost exclusively on assessment fees to pay for city services The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. , Thousand Oaks has to deal with just one, said Councilman Michael Michael, archangel Michael (mī`kəl) [Heb.,=who is like God?], archangel prominent in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions. In the Bible and early Jewish literature, Michael is one of the angels of God's presence. Markey. Most of the city's cash comes from sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. revenue. ``We're very fortunate because we don't have a lot of assessment districts like some cities do,'' Markey said. Proposition 218 was approved in November 1996, mandating that local taxes like lighting and landscaping assessments be approved by voters. The city could choose to put the district taxes to a vote by everyone within the district. Another option would be to break the city into 50 zones and allow each zone to decide whether it wanted to fund lighting and landscaping in its area, said Don Nelson, the city's public works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. director. But that could lead to disparity dis·par·i·ty n. pl. dis·par·i·ties 1. The condition or fact of being unequal, as in age, rank, or degree; difference: "narrow the economic disparities among regions and industries" between neighborhoods, with one voting to pay the tax and the other voting to reject it. If voters opted to continue the taxes, property owners in some zones would pay more than property owners in other zones, depending on the amount of landscaping done in the zone, Nelson said. Combined, lighting and landscaping assessments bring about $2 million into the city coffers every year, Nelson said. That amount covers all the lighting and generally any landscaping adjacent to tracts, he said. An additional $1.2 million from the general fund pays for landscaping in communal areas, like the senior center or roadway medians. The average annual assessment is now $138. Special, specific taxes need a two-thirds approval by voters, while general taxes need a simple majority approval. Voters could see the Thousand Oaks taxes on the ballot as early as March. City officials will look to the experience of Moorpark, where voters just rejected a continuation of the city's parks maintenance tax, Nelson said. ``There's a possibility, certainly, that it might not be approved,'' he said. But Markey believes that Thousand Oaks voters would want to keep the city's landscaping funded. ``It's what makes Thousand Oaks the way Thousand Oaks is,'' he said. ``We've got a pretty intelligent community here that understands the issues.'' If the measures were to fail, the city would have to make cutbacks in the zones or areas that voted the taxes down, Markey said. ``I don't think we can afford to subsidize sub·si·dize tr.v. sub·si·dized, sub·si·diz·ing, sub·si·diz·es 1. To assist or support with a subsidy. 2. To secure the assistance of by granting a subsidy. the entire $3 million out of the budget,'' he said. The council is scheduled to meet at 6 tonight in the Founders Room of the Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd. |
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