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HomeMy WebLinkAbout101-Staff Report.pdf SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: July 6, 2011 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 2011 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, 2011. The County of Santa Clara conducted inspections after this date to ensure compliance. One property was not in compliance by the April 15, 2011 deadline and remained non-compliant as of the date the Assessment Report was submitted to the Saratoga City Clerk’s office on June 29, 2011. The attached list, (Attachment A) notes the parcel that remains non-compliant. If the property owner completes the abatement work prior to the County contractor performing the abatement, the property owner will incur no additional charges, other than the $250 inspection fee and the $41 County administrative fee for creating and maintaining the file in the data base. Should the abatement work be completed by a County contractor, the property owner will be assessed the contractor’s charges plus a County administrative fee of $169. The total amount will be included as a special assessment on the property owner’s tax bill following confirmation of the charges. The attached list also reflects 15 new properties that were added to the list. Those properties will be assessed the $41 administrative fee for creating and maintaining the file in the County’s data base and will be included in the next Weed Abatement program, which begins later this year. FISCAL IMPACTS: Assessment of 2011 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: 2011 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