Commercial property owners within the Civic Center passed a special tax to fund the design of a new wastewater treatment facility in the Civic Center, according to results released by the City of Malibu.
The tax passed unanimously in a 64-0 vote after Civic Center commercial property owners were asked by the city to fund the implementation of “Phase One” of a wastewater treatment project.
Following a development prohibition placed on the City of Malibu in 2011 by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, the City of Malibu must build a centralized wastewater treatment system in the Civic Center by November 2015.
The City Council established a Community Facilities District (CFD) in August, under which it aimed to levy a special tax on 15 commercial property owners who own approximately 77 acres of land in the Civic Center. The city received 10 ballots by the Nov. 20 deadline, meaning five commercial property owners did not vote. City officials have yet to release information on which property owners did not participate in the vote.
City officials estimate they will collect $6.5 million in funds from the tax to pay for the system’s design. Each landowner received one vote per acre owned. The special tax needed two-thirds approval to pass.
The city has spent $2.54 million to date on the design of the wastewater treatment facility, and anticipates that an additional $4 million will be needed for an environmental impact report (EIR), construction documents and to obtain permits, according to a staff report.
That funding has thus far been paid for by the city, but commercial property owners in the Civic Center are expected to pick up the expense at a cost of $12,500 per commercial acre to keep the city’s plan moving forward. Residential properties included in the vote, such as the Crummer site, will pay $2,500 per residential acre.
The City Council is expected to certify the CFD voting results at a Nov. 26 meeting. Once certified, city staff will present the council with an ordinance lobbying for the tax at a Dec. 10 meeting.