West Sac Eyes Flood Fees for Some Homes

By Lakiesha McGhee, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Apr. 9–The West Sacramento City Council will consider a proposed ordinance Wednesday requiring flood control fees for new developments that don’t meet the city’s flood safety standards.

The city wants to increase its flood protection standards to a 200-year level of flood protection. It would cost about $400 million, a new city report says.

The new fees would raise $42 million for the work.

Another $42 million would come from a proposed new assessment on existing properties.

The bulk of the cost would be covered by state and federal sources.

“This is a major policy change,” Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said last week. “But we have to continue economic activity. We can’t shut down.”

Cabaldon was responding to residents’ fears that the city is putting more people at risk by allowing developers to build before achieving the higher level of flood protection.

The goal would be for levees to hold back huge storms with a 1 in 200 chance of occurring in any given year.

West Sacramento is surrounded on all sides by levees, protecting the city from the Sacramento River to the east and the Sacramento and Yolo bypasses to the north and west.

And the deepwater channel defines its western boundary and cuts across the middle of town.

Over the past two decades, West Sacramento has improved its levees, but preliminary levee assessments indicate the level of flood protection is less than previously believed.

Since Hurricane Katrina, there is concern its levees may not meet new criteria set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

City Flood Protection Manager Willard Chow said that without the ordinance, developers will be hard- pressed to demonstrate that they meet the city’s regulations based on current federal criteria, state standards and local levee conditions.

“The ordinance allows more development to be feasible if it does not call for more development than allotted in the general plan,” Chow said.

Some residents at the meeting questioned the strategy.

“How can you let building happen when you don’t know the status of the levees?” asked resident Pat Flint.

She suggested the ordinance not be adopted until the council has infor-mation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency about new levee criteria.

Resident Dani Langford said that adding more development and people increases the risk. “We can’t justify building because we need the money for our levees,” Langford said.

Councilman Mark Johannessen said development and levee improvements will occur over time.

However, he expressed concern the city would be “double dipping” by charging developers an assessment for the land and an in lieu developer fee.

“We may be finding that we’re becoming economically uncompetitive and not see the type of development we are expecting,” he said.

Cabaldon said there is no viable alternative to get the level of safety needed for the community.

He added that a moratorium on building would impact all property values.

“The framework for the ordinance makes sense, but we will probably have debate over the amount of the developer fees,” Cabaldon said.

The amount of the fee will be presented April 18 in a council workshop focused on geotechnical studies of the levees, Chow said.

A second reading of the ordinance also will be held April 18.

Key meetings and workshops

Meetings on flood protection are scheduled at the West Sacramento Civic Center, 1110 West Capitol Ave.

–Wednesday: Council hearing on proposed ordinance for fees if developers don’t meet new city flood protection standards; 6:45 p.m.

–April 17: Community workshop on emergency prepared- ness; 6:30 p.m.

–April 18: Council workshop on levee assessment work, in which the amount of the developer fee will be presented. Council has a second reading of the developer fee ordinance.

–May 15: Community workshop on an overall financing plan for levee improvements.

–Late May: Voters receive a weighted ballot by mail on new property assessments for greater flood protection. Assessments will be tied to the direct benefits to properties and vary based on parcel type, size and potential flood depths. Property owners will get one vote for each dollar assessed, with a majority required for passage.

–June 5: Open house to answer questions from property owners who have received their ballots.

–Contact information: on the Web: www.westsacfloodprotection.com; call (916) 617-4500

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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