Property owners in Anaheim Hills approved a tax on their homes to continue funding a groundwater pump system that has protected homes from landslides for 30 years.
The results of the election were announced Thursday night, July 27, with 78.8% of the weighted vote in favor of the property tax assessment, a strong turnabout after residents had previously voted twice against it.
Related: Money running out for pumps that protect Anaheim Hills homes from landslides
Just over 300 homes in the southern end of Anaheim Hills will now pay a few hundred dollars to more than $2,000 a year more in property taxes beginning in December.
The tax is based on a formula that incorporates, among other factors, lot size and proximity to a possible landslide. The new assessment is projected to bring in just over $300,000 yearly.
Santiago Geologic Hazard Abatement District Chairman Craig Schill said he thought the overwhelming support was incredible, especially considering people approved a tax that helps others since not all of the 300 homes are directly at risk from a landslide.
“This community rallied for the 20% that were really at risk,” Schill said.
There were 203 ballots cast with 143 voting for the property tax assessment.
Without the new tax, funding for the groundwater pumps would have run out by the end of the year. Homes in the area would “be in imminent threat of landslide reactivation,” according to an engineering report released earlier in July.
The voter approval paves the way for the city of Anaheim to spend $175,000 to fund a study for a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant that could lead to a long-term fix.
Schill said the work is not done though. The assessment expires in two years if the district doesn’t get the FEMA grant, which could force another vote to occur.
The city installed the pumps after a devastating landslide in 1993 that destroyed homes and forced nearly four dozen families to evacuate.
The system is made up of 87 drain lines,…
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