Manteca’s decision to shift the maintenance costs of new neighborhood parks to buyers of nearby homes isn’t sitting well with some residents.

Bill Brewer, for example, who lives in the Tesoro neighborhood in the triangle created by Van Ryn Avenue, Woodward Avenue and Atherton Drive, is questioning why the city conducted the required Proposition 218 election prior to most residents moving in.

It costs Tesoro residents $230 a year to maintain the neighborhood park/storm retention basin as well as common landscaping.

Manteca’s elected leaders started requiring new projects to pay for neighborhood park upkeep about four years ago when they realized the general fund would not be able to cover the cost of maintenance for all of the city’s 50 plus parks. Manteca has a higher ratio of parks than virtually any other Northern San Joaquin Valley community with a park within at least a half mile walking distance of all homes.

Manteca’s large number of parks is considered a selling point for new residents.

Brewer and others have questioned what “special” benefits residents receive for the assessment. City leaders have justified the assessment by noting storm retention basins serve specific developments. Manteca was one of the first cities to have storm retention basins serve dual purposes to reduce the cost of development that is passed on to home buyers by having basins do double duty as parks. It requires them to be a little bit bigger while at the same time eliminates separate storm retention basins that tend to be deeper and have to be fenced off.

City leaders determined most of the people who use neighborhood parks live in the immediate vicinity. Even though the landscape maintenance district pays for the upkeep of the neighborhood parks they can be used by anyone.

In order to make sure the taxing districts are formed, the city requires that they are put in place as a condition of the developer being able to build. Usually it happens before the new neighborhood breaks ground or in the early stages of building.  As long as the developer still holds the majority of the impacted lots and is required to cast a “yes” vote under an agreement that  is made with the city the district is voted into existence. Proposition 218 assessments are based on voting by parcel ownership and not residents.

Tesoro Park originally wasn’t included in the neighborhood landscape maintenance district. Instead when the subdivision’s guarantee of sewer allocations was about to lapse due to the recession, the developer agreed to the city’s stipulation they conduct a vote to add the park maintenance to the landscape district tab and cast their votes per parcel accordingly in order to protect the sewer allocations.

All homebuyers are made aware of special assessments before the close of escrow.

A similar situation is before the City Council during their 7 o’clock meeting tonight at the Civic Center, 1001 W. Center St.

The Brocchini Family Partnership is having land added to the Terra Bella Landscape Maintenance District on Woodward Avenue east of Union Road that now includes Bright Homes’ project. It will be adding 2.37 aces to the existing park site to make it 5.7 aces.

The expanded area is considered to be a general benefit, and maintenance will initially be funded by the city. As property develops it will be added to the landscape maintenance district.

The result will mean existing Terra Bella residents and future home buyers in the Bright Homes neighborhood will be required to pay 60 percent of the cost of the park maintenance.

Terra Bella residents are now paying nothing per year for the park as well as landscaping that is still being maintained by the developer. But once the park is completed and the project completely sold, the cost per homeowners will be $360.52 annually for the park and irrigation well maintenance as well as common landscaping.