Filing Deadline Nears for Malibu Sewer Assessment Refunds

• Notarized Affidavit Due by March 31

BY ANNE SOBLE

Eligible Malibu property owners, who have not already done so, have only a week and a half left to file for the second round of partial refunds of Malibu sewer project assessments they paid when the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors—then Malibu’s governing body— levied assessments for the construction of a regional sewer system in 1989 that would never be built by the county.
The sewer project, a longstanding objective of the county that was expected to spearhead major development in the Malibu area, was supported by local business interests and owners of large undeveloped parcels, but provided the impetus for an incorporation effort that galvanized residents the length and breadth of the coastline. Cityhood was overwhelmingly approved at the polls on June 15, 1990, and the city was inaugurated on March 28, 1991.
The county had funded the sewer proposal and design with the sale of approximately $34.6 million in county improvement bonds. The approval of incorporation sounded the sewer’s death knell, and the new City of Malibu and the county negotiated an agreement in 1993 that led to the redemption of these bonds. The agreement required the county to refund the monies assessed after the deduction of all costs for sewer system planning, design and administration.
The first round of partial refunds was made in 1994. Assessments paid on or before Jan. 1, 1991, were refunded to the payer. Assessments paid after Jan. 1, 1991, were paid to the recorded owner of the property as of January 1994.
The second and final refunds, approximately $1700, are now being disbursed upon application by owners of assessed parcels in 1994, but they must apply by March 31.
A notarized affidavit attesting to ownership and payment status is required for each address for which an application for a refund is being filed.
Some property owners who received the first round of refunds are learning that there are possible address glitches affecting the second round. The News has been contacted by individuals recounting their personal difficulties getting back into the refund loop and asking whether other people are encountering similar problems.
A telephone information line to inquire about refunds and application procedures is available in the office of the Assistant Treasurer and Tax Collector downtown. Questions can be directed to Mina Palinay at 213-974-6302. Calls are not always returned quickly, according to a number of residents.
Email inquiries can be sent to mpalinay@ttc.lacounty.gov