8 Special Tax Districts Dissolved in South Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, CA – The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday ended eight special taxing districts in the southern part of the county and doled out $4.3 million in property owner tax credits.

The tax credits range from $49.84 to $3,664.01 per parcel, according to officials.

“The County made a promise 30 years ago to collect what was needed to finance public improvements and to end the payments when they were no longer necessary,” said Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett, Fifth District, who represents South Orange County. “We’ve honored our promise and a significant number of residents will no longer be assessed this tax.”

The supervisors shut down the Community Facilities Districts, which were established in 1986. The taxing districts collected "Mello-Roos'' fees from property owners that financed construction of schools, fire and sheriff stations, transportation enhancements, parks utilities and other municipal costs.

The abolished districts are among 24 County CFDs and another 68 CFDs formed by cities, school districts and special districts across Orange County. A ninth County CFD will be dissolved in the coming months, officials said.

According to the board, property owners will receive a one-time property tax credit on their next year’s tax bill ranging from $49.84 to $3,664.01 based on surplus amounts remaining in district accounts; special tax liens recorded on the affected properties also will be removed.

CFDs remain a viable way to fund the construction of major public improvements, the board said. In March, the county formed its newest CFD to fund $90,845,000 in facilities and infrastructure for the Village of Esencia in the new Rancho Mission Viejo development.

More information about the remaining CFDs in Orange County can be found here:
http://media.ocgov.com/gov/ttc...

A list of Orange County CFDs, excluding the most recent Esencia CFD, can be found here from
a periodic report published in 2012:
http://media.ocgov.com/civicax...

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--City News Service contributed to this report