I wonder how voters would respond if asked them what type of flood protection they would rather have, a 200 year level (New Orleans had a 250 year level when Katrina hit) at a cost to them of $100 a year. or a 500 year level (which only the Auburn Dam can provide) at a cost to them of $300 a year.
We don’t have the results of a survey like that but we do have the results of one done about Auburn Dam in February of 2005, and 60% of the respondents in the three counties said yes, build it.
You can find the survey at the Auburn Dam Council website which is www.auburndamcouncil.org
Officials push tax hike, cite risks of flood
Bills may triple, but 'I don't think we have a choice,' says one Natomas resident.
By Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, January 20, 2007
Standing in front of a calm Sacramento River, local leaders of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency on Friday kicked off their campaign to convince Sacramentans they should pay higher property taxes for better flood protection.
The increased assessment will go out to property owners in Sacramento's flood-prone neighborhoods for approval during the month of March.
Some homeowners, such as those in downtown, midtown, Land Park and Curtis Park, would see a tripling of the $18 they pay each year. Bills would double for residents of some other parts of the city, and homeowners in southern Sutter County would be assessed for the first time.
Still, the annual bill in nearly all neighborhoods would remain below $100.
Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, chairman of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, said at Friday's press conference in Old Sacramento that he's confident the new assessment will pass. A similar levy approved in 2000 for an earlier round of flood fixes garnered a yes vote of 83 percent among property owners who returned their ballots.
"I think what we saw in 2000 is that when people were presented with the facts, they got it," Dickinson said. "It's easy to forget, during weather like this, or during the summer, that this river can rage. ... This is truly a deal we cannot afford to refuse."
The new assessment would raise $326 million over 30 years to pay for the local share of the $2.7 billion the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency plans to spend on flood protection for Sacramento. Ninety percent of the funding would come from state and federal sources.
The agency's initial goal is to achieve 200-year flood protection for the urban area within 10 years.
