LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE

• 24-Hour Maintenance Hotline
• Hampton Village Neighborhood Landscape Maintenance
• Camden Benefit Zone
• 2009 Park Assessment Ballot
• Leaves fall from Sycamore Trees

Landscape Maintenance Overview

The CSD maintains over 940 acres of parks, corridors, creeks, and trails through the Landscape and Lighting Assessment District (L&L) budget. Maintenance occurs within seventeen (17) benefit zones and at District Wide facilities, such as Elk Grove Park and Laguna Community Park.

Landscape and Lighting assessments fund the majority of maintenance and operations costs, with a small amount of miscellaneous revenue, such as cell tower leases, funding the remaining balance. Assessments ensure landscape maintenance does not impact CSD Fire, Administration and Recreation operations.

Assessment revenues in some benefit zones east of Highway 99 have not kept pace with expenses. In 2009, the CSD was faced securing new revenue or cutting maintenance services. A ballot procedure was conducted allowing property owners to decide which course of action was preferred. Property owners in Camden, Vista Creek, and Fallbrook neighborhoods approved a new assessment and maintenance has remained steady. Property owners in Central Elk Grove, Elk Grove West Vineyard, and Hampton Village voted against an new assessment and maintenance levels have been reduced to balance the budget. Additional information on the 2009 Assessment Ballot Procedure is available here.

Lawrence Park Play Equipment Fire

On Tuesday, April 30, 2013, at approximately 6:30 pm, the age 5-12 play equipment at Lawrence Park was set on fire and burned to the ground. The damage was significant and will require complete replacement. Anyone with information about the fire should contact the CSD Fire Department Arson Hotline at (916) 405-7118. More Information

Hampton Village Neighborhood Landscape Maintenance (off of E. Stockton Blvd and Hampton Oak Drive)

The Cosumnes CSD provided landscape maintenance in the Hampton Village area. Funding comes from local property owners and this is identified as the "L&L assessment" on the owner’s annual tax bill. This is the only funding source available for landscape maintenance.

Unfortunately, funding has not kept pace with expenses. The last rate increase was 10 years ago. Water costs and other maintenance expenses have exceeded revenues.

The CSD conducted a ballot in May 2009 asking if property owners were willing to pay a new assessment to cover expenses and this was rejected. The only remaining recourse was cost reductions, which equate to reduced maintenance levels. To balance the budget required:

• Maintenance frequency reduced to every other week versus weekly
• Eliminating 1.7 acres of landscaping
• Reducing watering
• Eliminating fertilization, weed control, and turf aeration66

The CSD continues to provide maintenance as revenue allows. It is reasonable to expect that maintenance service levels will not increase and are like to continue decreasing if expenses continue to rise faster then revenue.

Some Hampton Village residents have discussed another ballot to raise new assessment funds and restore service levels. These efforts have not evolved into an action plan. Residents in the Camden and Fallbrook neighborhoods faced similar service cutbacks and developed action plans to raise assessments for improved maintenance.

Hampton Village Areas of Note
Hampton Oak Drive landscape corridor – 12,000 square feet of turf was eliminated to reduce maintenance costs. Watering continues to keep the trees alive. Some trees died due to root entanglement from eucalyptus trees located on private property south of the south wall. The CSD has removed the dead trees and will plant new trees provided free of charge by SMUD.

This photo shows the area where eight trees were removed.

McConnell Park – The park is still open for use, although 60,000 square feet of turf was eliminated to reduce maintenance costs.

Leaves fall from Sycamore Trees

Each year in the spring, you may notice leaves falling from sycamore trees This is due to a fungus called anthracnose. This happens to our sycamores throughout the CSD. It is not pretty, but it is not deadly, and there is no practical treatment to prevent this. Re-budding will occur. A full publication on this anthracnose is available here.