SPECIAL DISTRICTS

Certain areas within the City pay a separate parcel tax to improve and maintain the public amenities within those areas. These are typically called landscape maintenance districts or Mello Roos community facilities districts. The taxes can be used to fund streets, landscaping, lighting, water, and drainage, even infrastructure like schools and parks. Larger separate parcel projects may require bond financing that is repaid over time through these assessments on the residents and businesses within the district that benefit from the improvements. As a result of paying more, these districts with separate parcel taxes -- above and beyond their regular property taxes -- have additional dedicated resources to tend to the landscaping, lighting, parks and residential streets than the areas that do not pay the additional tax.