L A County Will Waive Water System Surcharges For Fire Victims
Written by 991KBU on July 30, 2019
L A County will not charge fire victims for water system improvements made over past years …
That marks a significant win for the Malibu Foundation … which went to the Board of Supervisors to ask for waivers on county waterworks Capital Improvement Charges,
The specific complaint was based on burned down houses on Pint Dume … but the resolution approved by t he Board of Supervisors covers all Woolsey Fire victims in Malibu and elsewhere in L-A County.
Many homes in the Malibu Park devastation area are apparently also covered by the fee waiver.
A total of two point two million dollars in fees will be waived as a result of the vote of the Board of Supervisors.
Under the prior policy … homeowners applying for building permits were obligated to pay for expensive water system improvements that were added by neighbors … prior to the fire.
The resolution was authored by local county supervisor Sheila Kuehl.
It says that the added water fees and charges would be on top of the already heavy
losses faced by residents displaced by the fire … and may present a barrier to some
who seek to rebuild.
Under the terms of the motion… the county department of public works will waive or refund water supply charges and other fees for residents displaced by the Woolsey Fire who seek to rebuild.
The conditions include that the residents are not seeking a larger size water service … unless they need a bigger meter for the purposes of meeting
current fire sprinkler regulations.
Residents must also be within the parameters of rebuilding allowed after a disaster within the City of Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains Coastal Zone Planning Area.
Malibu Foundation board member Rory Kennedy had lobbied for the fee waiver.
She noted that the structure of the improvement levy may actually be unconstitutional … because ut would force homeowners to pay for a government service in an amount far greater than the actual benefit of the service.
And Kennedy said she would assume that the County considers getting fire victims back into their homes a laudable goal.
