The San Benito County Board of Supervisors and developers
reached an agreement this week that will give Rancho Larios
homeowners a property tax refund of nearly $2,000.
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors and developers reached an agreement this week that will give Rancho Larios homeowners a property tax refund of nearly $2,000.
The refund, a total of $1,964.30 per household, comes in answer to homeowners’ complaints about being charged for an unexpected $400,000 in legal costs stemming from a lawsuit with the Aromas Water District.
The Board approved a settlement agreement with developers of the subdivision southwest of San Juan Bautista to share their costs from the lengthy legal battle. That allowed the county to refund a portion of the legal fees initially charged to homeowners to pay for the lawsuit.
The agreement, approved Tuesday during a closed session meeting of the Board, comes nearly a year after Supervisor Ruth Kesler proposed looking into getting residents a refund.
County officials said they were grateful for the homeowners’ understanding while officials tried to work out a deal for the refund.
“The homeowners have been very patient with us,” County Counsel Karen Forcum said.
The water dispute spilled over in January 1996 when the Aromas Water District entered into an agreement with the county to provide water for the subdivision. The agreement stated that the district would be allowed to raise its rates just once a year after notifying the county by March 1 of each year.
The lawsuits contend that the district has violated the agreement and that the rate changes are unfair.
However, water district officials contended that without a rate hike, the cost of pumping water to Rancho Larios would drive the district into bankruptcy.
Conflicting hydrological reports left it unclear as to how much water would be available for domestic use in the water district’s catchment area, which is supposed to supply the Rancho Larios subdivision with water.
However, after years of legal proceedings, all three sides reached a settlement that ensured water for residents and a fair rate for the water district.
