HomeMy WebLinkAbout101-Staff Report.pdf
SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL
MEETING DATE: July 15, 2009 AGENDA ITEM:
ORIGINATING DEPT: City Manager’s Office CITY MANAGER: Dave Anderson
PREPARED BY: Ann Sullivan, City Clerk DEPT HEAD: Dave Anderson
SUBJECT: Confirmation of Report and Assessment of 2009 Weed/Brush Abatement
Program
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Open public hearing, close public hearing, and adopt resolution confirming report and assessment
of hazardous vegetation abatement charges.
REPORT SUMMARY:
Under State and local laws, local governments routinely abate the seasonal hazardous vegetation
on undeveloped property. For the County and several cities, including Saratoga, this hazardous
vegetation abatement program is administered by the Office of the Agricultural Commissioner. In
many cases, property owners find it convenient to have the government take care of the weed
removal and to pay through a property tax lien.
The compliance deadline to destroy weeds/brush for Saratoga was April 15, 2009. The County of
Santa Clara conducted inspections after this date to ensure compliance. Eight properties were not
in compliance by the April 15, 2009 deadline; however, those property owners did abate their
property prior to the County performing the abatement and were subsequently charged the $298
inspection fee. Five properties continued to remain out of compliance, which resulted in the
County issuing a work order for the Santa Clara County contractor to perform the abatement.
The County charged those property owners for the abatement work only and not an inspection
fee.
The attached list, (Attachment A) notes the parcels the County abated as well as those properties
that were charged the inspection fee. Tax liens and assessments on the owners of these parcels
totaled $11,838.59. In order to recover this cost, it is necessary for the Council to adopt a
resolution (Attachment B) confirming the assessments and directing the County Auditor to enter
and collect the assessments on the property tax bill.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
Assessment of 2009
None to the City if resolution is adopted. The City may be liable for work performed by
contractor for any assessments not levied.
CONSEQUENCES OF NOT FOLLOWING RECOMMENDED ACTION:
See Fiscal Impacts.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION:
N/A
FOLLOW UP ACTION:
Send a certified copy of the adopted resolution to Moe Kumre, Weed Abatement Program
Coordinator, Santa Clara County Department of Agriculture and Environmental Management,
1553 Berger Drive – Building 1, San Jose, CA 95112.
ADVERTISING, NOTICING AND PUBLIC CONTACT:
A Notice of Pubic Hearing was published in the Saratoga News on June 30, 2009, as required by
law (Attachment C).
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: 2009 Weed Abatement Program Assessment Report for City of Saratoga
Attachment B: Resolution Confirming Report and Assessment of Hazardous Vegetation
Abatement Charges
Attachment C: Notice of Public Hearing Ad