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Most people understand the need for public engagement and support the idea, but often worry if they’re getting it right. Engaging communities in ongoing discussions and during the planning stages [...]

Municipal park and recreation departments and special districts in California seem always to be in dire need of funding. This is in large part due to the restrictions of Proposition 13, and often [...]

In Spring 2019, the California Senate policy committees decided to put a pause on fee caps as proposed in Senate Bill (SB)13 and SB 4. These two bills would have capped fees on Accessory Dwelling [...]

Effective cost recovery policies and procedures must come from an initial understanding of the true costs of providing services. Many local government agencies are aware that indirect [...]

Local agencies in California have the ability to charge a wide range of user and regulatory fees. Common examples of these include: Cities or fire districts have fire prevention programs and [...]

Accuracy and Public Accountability Should Be Priorities The accuracy of customer bills sent out by municipal water and sewer agencies is reviewed far less than it probably should be. Particularly [...]

New developments or annexations of land to existing municipal boundaries can offer considerable advantages to a public agency. This can include examples such as: New residential developments will [...]

Cities across California grapple with the increasing annual costs and efforts to address stormwater. As charging any type of utility fee for this effort is challenging, most cities choose to pay [...]

The City of Oxnard has close to 100 Special Financing Districts (SFDs) across the city, serving a variety of neighborhood needs. Over time, the management of these districts have become [...]

The Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District serves a very large area in Riverside County. They provide many services for dozens of parks and other facilities over hundreds of square miles, [...]