Stalling development, except for the always appropriate planning process, when it is the key to local public funding, is never a good idea when an increase in public funding is necessary to protect the communities development builds.
Sometimes the first thought is the best one.
Editorial: Second thoughts on West Sac's floodplain plan
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, August 20, 2007
West Sacramento faces the same flood control conundrum of many smaller Central Valley communities: Its levees aren't up to snuff, and it has a limited base of property owners and businesses to tap for the local share of flood control costs.
To its credit, this city of 43,000 has taken some steps unmatched by other cities of its size: It has proactively investigated its (state-owned) levees, and its property owners have agreed to tax themselves to cover part of the needed improvements.
Now comes the hard part. West Sacramento needs more than $400 million to upgrade its levees over 15 years. The city must pay roughly $84 million of that. (Congress and state bonds are expected to pay for the rest.) Yet the recently approved tax assessment will cover only about half of the $84 million needed. The city hopes to obtain another $40 million from fees on new development, including thousands of new homes planned in the Southport area.
This page enthusiastically endorsed the West Sacramento tax assessment prior to voter approval last month. In retrospect, we should have done so with some reservations.
Had we more fully explored all aspects of the city's financing plan, we would have cautioned against relying so heavily on developer fees to pay for flood improvements. It's a risky strategy for people who may choose to buy new homes in West Sacramento before full levee upgrades. It's also risky for the city's overall flood control financing plan.
