Image Up Advertising & Design

COMMUNITy NEWS | FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | DECEMBER 2014 15 By Leighton McLaughlin Four Seasons District 7A residents voted overwhelmingly for a proposal to change their yearly Mello-Roos payments. The homes affected are in Community Facilities District 7A, the portion of Four Seasons east of the Potrero Gate on Four Seasons Boulevard and north of the Potrero Creek greenbelt. The proposal will eliminate the yearly two percent increase in the payments but extend the payments from 20 years to 30, making total payments the same. The benefit is to current homeowners who will not face a yearly increase. The trade-off is that beginning 20 years from now homeowners will have to pay the fixed rate for several years longer. The total payout will retire bonds issued for community improvements. The payments vary by home size; in District 7A they range from $1,206 for a Springdale home to $2,403 for a Landmark. The vote to accept the proposal was 316 to 56, or 85 percent in favor. The proposal now goes to the Beaumont City Council for acceptance which is expected to be a routine administrative move. Mello-Roos (formally the Community Facilities Act) was adopted by the California Legislature in 1982 after Proposition 13 severely limited the ability of local governments to raise taxes for public facilities and services. It was named after its two sponsors, Sen. Harry J. Mello of Watsonville and Rep. Mike Roos of Los Angeles. The city of Beaumont required establishment of Community Facilities District 7A (among other districts) before building permits for Four Seasons were issued. The bonds issued under Mello–Roos pay for the added expense to the city for providing facilities and services the added population of Four Seasons requires. Residents receive the Mello-Roos bill with their property tax bill, even though the Mello-Roos portion is, strictly speaking, an assessment and not a tax. If it were a tax it would violate Proposition 13. Residents Vote Big To Change Mello-Roos Payments

• Cover