By Mike Harris

Special to The Alpine Mountaineer

The county will be asking property owners in two mountain road maintenance and snow removal service areas to pay more for those services, or else it will seek to dissolve those service areas if property owners don’t agree.

The two service areas are County Service Area 70, Zone R-9 (RimForest) and County Service Area 70, Zone R-22 (Twin Peaks).

At Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting, the two public hearings were opened, then continued to April 25. At that time, pursuant to Proposition 218, the board will hear and consider any protests against the proposed increases.

For the Rim Forest Zone R-9 area, the proposed increase to the property related service charge would go from $60 per parcel per year, to an increased amount of $194.40 per parcel per year for ongoing costs for operations and maintenance (with an annual inflationary increase of up to 3 percent).

Additionally, the county is seeking $307.09 per parcel per year for a 10-year period to fund repayment of a loan, with interest, for a road paving project, for a total of $501.49 per parcel per year, effective Fiscal Year 2023-24, for road maintenance and snow removal services.

For the Twin Peaks Zone R-22 area, the proposed increase to property-related service charge would go from $100 per parcel per year to an increased amount of $268.42 per parcel per year for ongoing costs for operations and maintenance (with an annual inflationary increase of up to 3 percent).

Additionally, the county is seeking $548.18 per parcel per year for a 10-year period to fund repayment of a loan, with interest, for a paving project, for a total of $816.60 per parcel per year, effective Fiscal Year 2023-24, for road maintenance and snow removal services.

The board would also direct the clerk of the board of supervisors to count and determine the number of written protests submitted by owners of the identified parcels to determine if a majority protest to the proposed increased property-related service charge exists.

If it’s determined during the public hearings that no majority protest exists, the board would authorize a mailed ballot election, pursuant to Proposition 218, of property owners within the two service areas. The election date would be May 9, 2023, or any day thereafter.

However, if it is determined that a majority protest exists in either or both of the two service areas, the board would direct the Department of Public Works to begin procedures to dissolve the service area.