Unofficial results for Carpinteria’s property owner vote on the proposed right-of-way landscape and berm assessments appear to show Carpinterians largely said no to the proposed assessments, city staff confirmed on Thursday. 

The ballots, which went out in January, were weighted by proportional financial obligation. 

The Carpinteria City Council closed the ballot submission period on Monday and directed staff and Willdan Financial Services to begin counting the votes. 

“…It appears that a majority protest exists against the formation of both assessment districts,” Carpinteria City Clerk Brian Barrett confirmed to Noozhawk Thursday.

The formal results will be announced at the next Carpinteria City Council meeting, scheduled for March 23.

The assessments were meant to separately fund the $1.15 million cost of right-of-way landscape services and $80,000 related to putting up the city’s seasonal berm. 

The berm, a sandy structure that goes up along the beach every winter to protect properties from winter storms, is currently funded by fixed assessments that haven’t been raised since 1997.

Those current assessments bring in $20,000 annually.

Right-of-way landscape services are currently funded by fixed, $30-per-parcel assessments set in 1985, which bring in $200,000 annually.

Those landscaping services cover city parking lots, trails, some public streets such as Carpinteria and Linden avenues, and tree management for the city’s 2,763 public trees. 

The city has been pulling from its discretionary funds to offset the cost of both the landscape services and the berm, as well as park maintenance. 

This has led to a drop in the city’s discretionary fund balances over the past few years as revenues lag behind expenditures. 

The updated assessments were part of a strategy to help the city increase its revenues. 

Staff said last year that the city would likely begin cutting services, programs and staff by 2028 if the city couldn’t find dedicated funding for the landscape services and the berm.