Las Virgenes School District | Ewing & Associates

By Dana Olmes

property_tax

The Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982

The Act allows any county, city, special district, school district or joint powers authority to establish a Mello-Roos Community Facilities District (a “CFD”) which allows for financing of public improvements and services. The services and improvements that Mello-Roos CFDs can finance include streets, sewer systems and other basic infrastructure, police protection, fire protection, ambulance services, schools, parks, libraries, museums and other cultural facilities. By law, the CFD is also entitled to recover expenses needed to form the CFD and administer the annual special taxes and bonded debt.

Why is a Mello-Roos CFD Needed?

A CFD is created to finance public improvements and services when no other source of money is available. CFDs are normally formed in undeveloped areas and are used to build roads and install water and sewer systems so that new homes or commercial space can be built. CFDs are also used in older areas to finance new schools or other additions to the community.

How is a Mello-Roos CFD Formed?

A CFD is created by a sponsoring local government agency. The proposed district will include all properties that will benefit from the improvements to be constructed or the services to be provided. A CFD cannot be formed without a two-thirds majority vote of residents living within the proposed boundaries. Or, if there are fewer than 12 residents, the vote is instead conducted of current landowners. In many cases, that may be a single owner or developer. Once approved, a Special Tax Lien is placed against each property in the CFD. Property owners then pay a Special Tax each year. If the project cost is high, municipal bonds will be sold by the CFD to provide the large amount of money initially needed to build the improvements or fund the services.

How is the Annual Charge Determined?

By law (Prop. 13), the Special Tax cannot be directly based on the value of the property. Special Taxes instead are based on mathematical formulas that take into account property characteristics such as use of the property, square footage of the structure and lot size. The formula is defined at the time of formation, and will include a maximum special tax amount and a percentage maximum annual increase.

How Long Will the Charge Continue?

If bonds were issued by the CFD, special taxes will be charged annually until the bonds are paid off in full. Often, after bonds are paid off, a CFD will continue to charge a reduced fee to maintain the improvements.

EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.

Preventive Measures For Flu Season

By Jeff Biebuyck

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Nurse Gloria Doran with the Las Virgenes School District has released the following information concerning the coming fall flu season including the new flu virus called the H1N1 virus, previously called swine flu. We hope the flu season will be mild, but it is important to be prepared with information about how to avoid becoming ill or spreading illness to others.

Flu-like symptoms include:

Fever (over 100 degrees), cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, feeling very tired, and sometimes vomiting or diarrhea. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommend that all individuals with influenza-like illness should remain home until at least 24 hours after they are fever-free without the use of fever reducers such as acetominophen or ibuprofen. Additionally, ill people should avoid contact with others.

It is important to teach your children how to reduce their risk of getting the flu and how to protect others from becoming infected. If we all practice the ABC’s of good hygiene, health officials believe we can limit the spread of flu viruses and many other contagious diseases in our schools and communities.

A – Avoid touching your hands to your eyes, nose and mouth. Do not share drinking cups or eating utensils.
B – Be sure and wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds – about as long as it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice. Alcohol-based sanitizers are also effective in reducing the spread of the flu virus.
C – Cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or by coughing into the inside of your elbow. Wash hands after blowing nose or coughing into a tissue and properly disposing of used tissues.
D – Don’t send a sick child to school. Stay home when sick with fever and cough. Maintain a distance of at least three feet from other people to prevent the spread of illness.
E – Ensure your child is immunized for both seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu when the vaccine is available.