AB 2693: Financing requirements: property improvements.

(1)Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a public agency, as defined, to determine that it would be convenient, advantageous, and in the public interest to designate an area within which authorized public agency officials and property owners may enter into voluntary contractual assessments to finance certain improvements, including the installation of distributed generation renewable sources, energy or water efficiency improvements, seismic strengthening improvements, or electric vehicle charging infrastructure that are permanently fixed to real property, as specified.

Existing law prohibits a public agency from permitting a property owner to participate in any program established pursuant to these provisions if the owners participation would result in the total amount of any annual property taxes and assessments exceeding 5% of the propertys market value, as determined at the time of approval of the owners contractual assessment.

This bill would also prohibit a public agency from permitting a property owner to participate in a program pursuant to these provisions unless the property owner satisfies certain conditions and the property owner is given the right to cancel the contractual assessment at any time prior to midnight on the 3rd business day after certain events occur without penalty or obligation, consistent with certain requirements. The bill would require a financing estimate document or a substantially equivalent document to be completed and delivered to a property owner before the property owner consummates a voluntary contractual assessment pursuant to one of these programs. The bill would prohibit a public agency or other party to a voluntary contractual assessment pursuant to one of these programs to make any monetary or percentage representations of increased value to a property owner regarding the effect the financed improvements will have on the market value of the property unless the public agency or other party derives its estimates of market value using specified methods.

This bill would limit these provisions to a property owner who seeks to participate in a program established to finance the installation of distributed generation renewable energy sources, energy or water efficiency improvements, seismic strengthening improvements, or electric vehicle charging infrastructure that are permanently fixed to real property pursuant to these provisions for a residential property with 4 or fewer units.

(2)The Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982 specifies the requirements for the establishment of a community facilities district, including, among other things, a petition, a hearing, the establishment of the boundaries of the community facilities district, and an election on the question. Existing law authorizes a community facilities district formed pursuant to an alternative procedure under which the district initially consists solely of territory proposed for annexation to the community facilities district in the future and territory is annexed and subjected to special taxes only upon unanimous approval of the owners, to finance and refinance the acquisition, installation, and improvement of energy efficiency, water conservation, and renewable energy improvements.

This bill would require a legislative body to comply with the requirements described above prior to the annexation of a parcel or parcels to a community facilities district formed pursuant to the alternative procedure. The bill would prohibit a parcel or parcels from being annexed to a community facilities district formed pursuant to the alternative procedure if the parcel owner is seeking financing for improvement on a residential property with 4 or fewer units, unless the parcel satisfies specified conditions.

This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 53328.1 of the Government Code proposed by AB 2618 to be operative only if AB 2618 and this bill are chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2017, and this bill is chaptered last.