Landscape Maintenance District (LMD)

A Landscape Maintenance District (LMD) is a funding mechanism established by local governments in accordance with the State of California Landscape and Lighting Act of 1972, Streets and Highways Code Section 22500, et seq. The purpose of LMD's is to provide benefitting property owners in a defined geographic area, the opportunity to pay for enhanced maintenance of certain public landscaping improvements.

The City of Tracy's Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department is responsible for managing the 41 existing zones within the LMD. Each zone confers a special benefit upon properties through the installation and maintenance of landscaping and ornamental features. The City's collective LMD operation encompasses 48 parks, over 220 acres of landscape areas, and over 28,000 trees.

The maintenance services provided in the zones are funded through annual assessments levied upon properties within each zone and collected with the regular property taxes. All assessment revenue is dedicated exclusively for the administration, operation, and maintenance of the respective zone(s).

Maintenance

The City is responsible for the maintenance activities in all the zones.

Tracy Landscape Maintenance District Service Levels by Park

Park Address Zone Level
Albert Emhoff Park 1407 Jonathan Pl. 9 C
Bailor/Hennan Park 1893 Golden Leaf Ln. 7 B
Barbara Fitzpatrick Park 1355 Bluegrass Ln. 9 C
Bill Schwartz Park 1752 Peony Ln. 15 C
Clyde Abbott Park 2286 Stalsburg Dr. 20 B
Daniel Busch Park 1204 Crossroads Dr. 16 B
Don Cose Park 1780 Whirlaway Ln. 15 C
Dorlane Thrasher Park 1600 Joseph Menusa Ln. 3 B
Dorothy Evans Park 1730 Parkside Dr. 9 C
Dr. Ralph Allen Park 2462 Dorset Ln. 3 B
Eagan Family Park 2751 Oxford Ln. 3 B
Evelyn Costa Park 1421 Claremont Dr. 9 C
Fabian Family Park 1191 Valencia Dr. 8 C
Florence Stevens Park 200 Mount Eden Cir. 17 A
Fred Icardi Park 2505 Russell St. 9 C
George Kelly Park 2155 Tammi Ct. 3 B
Golden Spike Park 1840 Kern St. 9 C
Harvest Park 71 Fireside Ln. 7 B
J.Kingsley Chadeayne Park 2130 Robert Gabriel Dr. 14 B
Jack Fisher Park 564 Centre Court Dr. 35 B
Jim Raymond Park 1458 Sentinel Dr. 30 A
Joan Sparks Park 2428 Carol Ann Dr. 14 B
John Erb Park 2264 Barcelona Dr. 26 A
John Kimball Park 3765 Sudeley Dr. 9 C
Joseph Tiago Park 1260 Eastlake Cir. 24 A
Kit Fox Park 705 Fox Hollow Wy. 7 B
Larry Sullivan Park 105 Henry Ct. 17 A
Lester Huck Park 501 Wagtail Dr. 17 A
Marlow Brothers Park 225 Adaire Ln. 26 A
McCray Family Park 2125 Fieldview Dr. 3 B
Mount Diablo Park 1685 Tahoe Cir. 9 C
Mount Oso Park 2025 Tahoe Cir. 9 C
Naoimi Rippin Park 1871 Tennis Ln. 7 B
New Harmon Park 2131 Hillcrest Dr. 3 B
Pombo Family Park 2112 Joseph Damon Dr. 3 B
Richard Hastie Park 1384 Lankershire Dr. 21 C
Robert Kellogg Park 2224 Mount Pellier St. 29 C
Robert Patzer Park 850 Alden Glen Dr. 7 B
Sister Cities Park 420 Morris Phelps Dr. 9 C
Souza Family Park North 1904 Thelma Loop 13 A
Souza Family Park South 3164 Antonio Loop 13 A
Tom Slayter Park 1405 Suellen Dr. 3 B
Tracy Press Park 731 Weeping Willow Ln. 9 C
Valley Oak Park 890 Larkspur Dr. 9 C
Vernor Hanson Park 405 Jill Dr. 26 A
Westside Pioneer Park 1391 Hepburn Ct. 9 C
William Adams Park 4089 English Oak Ave. 15 C
William Lowes Park 4412 Regis Dr. 19 A
Service Level Maintenance & Service Tree Trimming Schedule Appearance Between Servicing
A Weekly 5 Years Neat, clean, green
B Bi-Weekly 7-8 Years Some litter and weed accumulation, plants may appear less tidy, aging amenities
C Monthly 9-10 Years Litter, weeds, and web accumulation, removed amenities may not be replaced

Service levels are determined/prioritized based on each zone's available revenue in relation the cost of maintenance, repair, and replacement.

Routine maintenance is performed by both City Maintenance staff and contractors. Report issues:

Not satisfied with the level of service in your neighborhood parks and streetscapes? Download the petition guidelines(PDF, 74KB) for gauging community interest in an assessment increase.

Assessments

At the time of the creation (formation) of each zone, a maximum allowable assessment was established. The maximum assessment was based on the maintenance cost projections to cover the landscaping and related services and amenities within each zone. Also at the time of formation, the maximum allowable assessment included an annual escalation factor to keep up with future inflation. The escalation factor is the lesser: 3% or the annual average of the Consumer Price Index (CPI - Urban Consumers for the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward Area). What this means, is that each year, the lesser of 3% or the CPI is applied to the maximum assessment from the previous year, establishing a new or "adjusted" maximum assessment.

Many of the zones (27 out of 41 or 66%) have reached their maximum assessment rates and either are or will be experiencing a budget shortfall. If no action is taken to increase the maximum assessment (see Prop 218 section), services and maintenance within the respective zone may be reduced to ensure a balance budget. Please review the most recent Engineer's Report for the most up-to-date zone budgets.

Assessment revenues are utilized to cover the following:

  • Personnel: wages and benefits for employees and/or contractor costs.
  • Materials: all supplies required to maintain the zone (i.e. soil, rocks, mulch, plants, fertilizer, pre-emergents, pesticides, etc.)
  • Equipment: on-going maintenance and future purchases (i.e. mowers, trimmers, playgrounds, etc.).
  • Utilities: water, electricity, and sewer services.

Engineer's Reports

An Engineer's Report is a document prepared annually by the City under the Requirements of the Landscape and Lighting Act of 1972. The annual Engineer's Report provides details on the improvements that are maintained, the boundaries, and the estimated budget for each zone. In order to levy assessments on properties, the City must have the Engineer's Report finalized and approved by early August of each year.

The Engineer's Reports from the previous five years are available below:

Prop 218

The LMD assessment are subject to Article XIII D of the California Constitution (commonly known as Proposition 218). In November 1996, California voters passed Prop 218 which requires property owner approval for assessment increases that exceed the district's adjusted maximum assessment for that year.

In the event that maintenance costs exceed the maximum allowable assessment revenue, special balloting procedures may be implemented to provide zone property owners the opportunity to increase the maximum allowable assessment to ensure service levels are not reduced.

If special balloting is implemented, a mail-in ballot will be sent to all property owners within the zone prior to the City Council meeting where the item will be considered. If there is not a majority protest, the City Council has the authority to adopt the proposed changes. However, if there is a majority protest the ballot will fail and the recommended changes will not be implemented.

A majority protest is defined as: If, upon the conclusion of the Public Hearing, valid ballots submitted in opposition to the proposed assessment increase exceed valid ballots submitted in favor of the proposed assessment increase. In tabulating the ballots, each ballot shall be weighted by the amount of the proposed assessment (simplified: one vote for every $1 of assessment).

The City has developed guidelines(PDF, 74KB) for the use of a petition to gauge the interest of an increased assessment, prior to initiating a formal Prop 218 ballot proceeding. Find the complete process for implementing a formal property owner ballot.

For further information regarding Prop 218, please review the California Legislative Information.

Properties

Type your address and find out if your property is within a zone boundary.

Questions / Concerns

If you have any questions or concerns please contact the Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department or submit a service request online.

Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department
333 Civic Center Plaza
Tracy, CA 95376
(209) 831-6200
parks@cityoftracy.org

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