More tax for better flood protection

West Sacramento approves flood assessment on homes, businesses

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

(07-17) 09:53 PDT West Sacramento, Calif. (AP) --(Information from : The Sacramento Bee) www.sacbee.com

This city next to the state capital became the latest in which property owners voted to raise their taxes for greater flood protection.

More than a third of the city's 15,000 land owners turned in ballots, with 70 percent favoring the $42 million assessment, according to the results of a 45-day mail-in vote announced this week.

"This is a historic and joyous day for us," said City Councilman Bill Kristoff, who sits on the West Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency.

In April, property owners in Sacramento and Sutter counties backed a $326 million initiative for flood improvements.

West Sacramento sits near the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers and lies across the Sacramento River from the capital. The city plans a total of $400 million in levee improvements, with most of the money coming from state and federal sources.

Dan Ramos, one of West Sacramento's largest property owners, said he supported the measure despite the cost to his business. His Ramco Enterprises will pay between $85,000 and $135,000 a year in assessments, he said.

"The economics are going to be very, very difficult, but it is the right thing to do," he said.

Owners of single-family homes will pay between $40 and $130 a year for the flood tax.

The region's emphasis on flood control has increased since hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. Sacramento's risk of flooding is among the greatest of any major city in the country.