School Board Rejects Recreation Fee Plan : Education: Property assessments were being considered as a means of coping with state budget cuts.

BUENA PARK —  The Buena Park School District on Monday rejected a proposal to charge property owners an annual fee to pay for the maintenance of school recreational facilities, a controversial move being considered by several other Orange County districts trying to cope with state budget cuts.

In a unanimous vote, the governing board decided against forming a maintenance assessment district that would have charged all property owners within the district $24 a year for the upkeep of recreational facilities such as ball fields, basketball courts and playgrounds.

“At this time, I think we can probably wait and see how much it is a necessity,” said board member Beth Swift.

Monday’s meeting was attended by about 50 people, most of whom opposed the new fee.

“I don’t care, however you slice it, it is a tax, if you put it on the ballot, you won’t get it,” said resident Michael Bright.

About 10 people spoke in favor of the new fee, saying the district needed the money.

“I’m in favor,” said Robin Ruble, a former employee of Corey Elementary School. “We all benefit when there is a safer place for our children to play.”

The district estimated that it would have gained about $180,000 through the new fee, which would have affected more than 8,000 property owners in the seven-school district.

Buena Park district officials proposed the fee to help deal with a budget shortfall of $400,000 because of state funding cutbacks, Supt. Jack Townsend said. “I think all agencies are looking at ways to develop local revenue streams to offset losses from the state,” Townsend said.

To balance the district’s $18-million budget, 10 teaching positions have been left vacant and other cuts are being considered, he said.

The Orange Unified School District formed a similar maintenance assessment district last month, and districts in Fullerton, Westminster and Huntington Beach are considering doing the same.

The authority for creating maintenance districts comes from the Landscaping and Lighting Act of 1972, which allows public agencies to form such districts without a vote by residents or property owners. The districts are most commonly formed by cities to finance capital improvements such as sewer systems and street lighting, but schools have recently turned to such districts as a new source of revenue.

Opponents of tax assessment districts say they violate Proposition 13, which required voter approval of new taxes or tax increases. Since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978 there has been a 672% increase in funds raised through various types of assessment districts, according to the Pacific Legal Foundation, a nonprofit property rights group.