The El Dorado Hills Community Services District board backed a new public working group on property assessment charges at its Thursday, Sept. 10, meeting.

The move could reshape how roughly 55,000 residents' Landscaping and Lighting Assessment District fees are calculated. General Manager Stephanie McGann Jantzen proposed the working group to the board, Village Life reported. The group will work alongside the district's existing LLAD Advisory Committee, which is charged with delivering a final assessment methodology recommendation to the board for adoption as early as January 2027.

LLAD charges appear as a line item on property tax bills. They are benefit assessments, not property taxes, based on what each parcel gains from nearby improvements and services. The district manages more than 25 active LLADs that fund parks, community facilities and landscaped areas across El Dorado Hills, according to a 2023-2024 El Dorado County Grand Jury report.

Three grand juries have questioned the methodology.

A 2015-2016 grand jury investigation found problems with how assessments were calculated and recommended the board form a citizens' advisory group to review costs.

A 2021-2022 grand jury report raised additional concerns about incomplete engineer's reports and the general benefit calculation.

By 2024, the disputes had escalated. The board directed the general manager to work with LLAD representatives to resolve methodology concerns, with the goal of heading off ballot initiatives before the November election deadline, according to the district's response to the 2023-2024 grand jury. The board also approved a one-time $833,724 General Fund contribution to reduce LLAD assessments for fiscal year 2024-2025, with most savings going to the Community and Village Parks LLADs including Carson Creek, Promontory and Valley View.

The new working group is the district's latest step toward resolving those long-running concerns. Jantzen was appointed permanent general manager at the board's June 11 meeting, according to a district press release.

The advisory committee aims to deliver its methodology recommendation to the board as early as January 2027. Details on how residents can join the working group were not available as of Sept. 12.