There’s a reason why the upkeep of newer neighborhood parks is a notch or two above that of older neighborhood parks.

Homeowners around parks created after 2001 are paying directly for their upkeep.

And the cost — depending upon whether it is just common landscaping area and/or park upkeep or includes storm drain maintenance and/or street light operating costs — will cost homeowners between $35.80 a month to $2,562 a month in the fiscal year starting July 1.

The new assessments were established Tuesday during a public hearing by the City Council.

The LMD annual levy is on top of property taxes of which between 15 and 18 percent typically goes to the city depending upon when areas specific homes are located were annexed to the city.

Manteca Unified receives 51 percent of property taxes with the rest split between Delta College, South San Joaquin Irrigation District, and a number of smaller agencies from mosquito abatement to soli conservation.

There are 34 landscape maintenance districts and four benefit area districts now in place across the city.

That is in addition to a blanket overlay community facilities district put in place three years ago as a condition of approval for even newer neighborhoods to help generate additional funding for frontline police and fire personnel as well as cover ongoing upkeep of streets within a specific neighborhood.

Altogether, the new assessments for the upcoming fiscal year are in excess of $1.5 million.

It is an expense that would have had to have been covered by the general fund if the city hadn’t started forming LMDs and such as allowed under state law for new developments.

The LMDs with assessments under $100 a year are typically common landscaping upkeep such as along soundwalls, neighborhood entrance, and medians.

It covers the cost of water, electricity for irrigation systems, weeding, shrub and tree replacement, as well as associated labor.

They also allow the city to retrieve costs connected with sound walls.

Most of the districts cover park upkeep costs from water to cutting the grass to needed maintenance and repairs.

The cost varies from district to district based on what each park entails as well as the number of homes in the neighborhood that the LMD assessment can be spread across.

Community parks — Woodward, Marion Elliott (formerly Lincoln), Northgate, and Library parks — are maintained out of the general fund.

They have a level of upkeep that is equal to — or exceeds — the LMD neighborhood parks due to their heavy use.

The LMD parks are open to anyone to use, and not just those in the neighborhood that pay the ongoing assessments.

The general fund neighborhood parks tend to have less ornamental landscaping. They also typically have grass cut less frequently as well.

City leaders 25 years ago opted to go to the LMDs after it was determined the Manteca general fund would be hard pressed to pick up the tab for ongoing maintenance of newer community parks.

It also allowed the city to go from sound walls with no landscaping abutting sidewalks except for tree wells — such as along a section of Fishback Road, Union Road, Louise Avenue, and Lathrop Road — to ones that are landscaped.

The LMDs have allowed the city to avoid stressing the general fund and assure homeowners surrounding — and near — the parks that they will be well kept.

Some LMDs also cover the neighborhood street light power costs and repairs and replacements of lighting fixtures.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com