Have you ever wondered what Mello Roos taxes are or how they originated? For additional tax information and resources click the California Tax Data link.
If you’re ever looking for something fun and relaxing to do on Sunday evening check out Concerts in the Park in downtown Pleasant Hill. If you like music and the outdoors bring the family, beach chairs, picnic basket and something cool to drink. It’s a great way to end your weekend, prepare for the work week and enjoy good food, people and fun!
Why, you may wonder, after a wet winter and a wet spring, should we worry about gardening to conserve water? It seemed as if the rain would never stop - an impression reinforced by the number of times it rained on weekends. Yet refer to the rainfall chart on The Chronicle's weather page, and you'll see that this past season was just at the high end of average.
More importantly, swings in rainfall are normal in our region. The average for San Francisco is about 22 inches, but the past 140 years of records for the city show as much as 49 inches of rain and as little as less than 8.
We're living on the edge, between the wetter north and the desert south. Some years we get winter weather more like that of the Northwest; others, more like Baja California. And the extremes are likely to last for several years in a row. Water rationing is only a dry year or two away.
Think of planning a garden that conserves water as drought insurance. But it isn't only prudent; it can also be an adventure, an exploration of intriguing and beautiful plants and attractive garden designs.
For ideas and techniques you can use to create a garden that will thrive in wet years and dry, see page L4.
1. Assess indoor water use
A wise gardener begins by looking at water use inside the house. Tips and other resources are available in print or online from local and regional water suppliers such as the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission or East Bay Municipal Utility District. (For a map that links to greater Bay Area water agency conservation programs, see links.sfgate.com/ZJXF.) Not only can you learn how to check for leaks and make sure your equipment uses minimal water, but in many cases, you can find rebates on appliances such as washers and toilets that use less water. (The average older toilet is flushing an unnecessary 19,000 gallons of water down the drain each year.) Free services and supplies are sometimes available. For example, the SFPUC offers city residents a free inside and outside water-use audit and free low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators, toilet-leak detection tablets, garden spray nozzles and soil moisture meters.
2. Design for conservation
A garden that uses only plants needing little or no summer water is called a xeriscape - from the Greek word xeros, meaning dry. Plants used in xeriscapes include cacti or succulents, but there are many other choices. Plenty of trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses and colorful flowers also work. Many California native plants are at home in a dry garden, as are plants from other Mediterranean-type regions of the world such as South Africa, southwest Australia and Chile. Also, a number of Bay Area communities have low-water-use demonstration gardens. Check their websites for details (see "Planning a water-smart garden").
Some gardeners create landscapes from only summer-dry plants. However, if you grow any plants that need more frequent summer water, you will want to group them together, so you won't be wasting water on nearby plants that don't need it. Grouping plants by water needs is called hydrozoning. Plants needn't have identical water needs to thrive together, but their needs should be similar.
Lawn grasses are relatively high in water use, so reducing or eliminating lawns can cut your water use dramatically. In designing a garden, think carefully about how much lawn you need and for what purpose. Lawns excel as walk-upon or play-upon surfaces, but make yours no larger than you really need. Where a lawn isn't really needed, plant low-water-use plants or use a nonplant surface.
3. Create permeable surfaces
An important aspect of water conservation is letting as much rain soak into the soil as possible. In cities and suburbs, rain runs off of buildings, roads, sidewalks and impermeable garden surfaces, rather than replenishing groundwater. When you create paths and patios that let water soak in, you add to your own and the region's store of underground water.
At the simplest and least expensive, you can use plain brown cardboard from flattened boxes - several layers, overlapped - covered with wood chips. (You can often get plenty of woodchips free by contacting tree service companies.) For a more permanent surface, consider gravel, decomposed granite, or use bricks or flagstones set in sand. All of these surfaces will need to have a weedblock layer under them. Make sure it is a porous one - not impermeable plastic.
Even concrete areas can allow water into soil. New permeable concrete is handsome and stays cool on hot days.
4. Garden to save water
Mulching between plants helps reduce evaporation from the soil surface. For ornamental plantings, choose wood chips or fine bark particles. Apply after watering, 2 to 3 inches thick, leaving an unmulched ring a few inches to a foot around stems or trunks. For vegetables, use compost, straw or a fine-textured bark product.
Don't let weeds or unwanted plant growth use up water. Pull weeds while they are young and prune in a timely manner.
Water deeply, with time between applications for air to return to soil. Use a moisture meter to determine moisture under the surface before you water again. Water drought-tolerant plants as deeply but less often than those that need regular water.
If you grow food crops, grow no more than you will harvest and eat. Plant some cool-season crops in February/March to use spring rains, and others in mid to late summer to use fall and winter rains.
Drip irrigation can save water, but the devil is in the timer. Reset it as weather changes, and be sure it has a rain sensor, so it will turn off in wet weather. Some newer timers are able to read weather data by satellite and operate as needed for your location and plant type. If you have hydrozones, you will need a timer that allows more than one schedule. (And check your system periodically for water-wasting leaks.)
Two other techniques for saving water are often discussed: catching water in rain barrels and reusing household water (gray water). Both require equipment and plumbing, and both entail cautions if you are growing food crops. See "Planning a water-smart garden" for resources explaining these techniques.
Planning a water-smart garden
Books
"Plants and Landscapes for Summer Dry Climates," Nora Harlow, editor; photographs by Saxon Holt (East Bay Municipal Utility District 2004; $34.95). Plants are described with information on their uses and care in gardens.
"Sunset Western Garden Book," Kathleen Norris Brenzel, editor (Sunset Publishing Co., 2007; $34.95). This perennial favorite lists more than 8,000 plants, with small illustrations and brief information on care, including water needs.
"Wildly Successful Plants: Northern California," by Pam Peirce; photographs by David Goldberg (Sasquatch Books, 2004; $24.95). An exploration of 50 regional old-garden plants, most of which are drought-tolerant, with detailed discussions of their uses and care in gardens.
Online resources
A Guide to Estimating Irrigation Water Needs of Landscape Plantings in California, available free from the California Department of Water Resources. This document includes lessons on how to calculate how fast water will leave soil and plants (evapotranspiration rate) for your location, but the most useful feature for home gardeners is the list of over 1,900 plants with water use ratings for six California regions. For a CD, call (916) 653-1097 or read it online at links.sfgate.com/ZJXG.
California Native Plant Society. A membership organization that promotes use of native plants. The website includes information on using natives in gardens as well as links to local chapters. www.cnps.org.
Las Pilitas Nurseries. These two nurseries are sources for an extensive list of California native plants, and their website provides extensive information on gardening with natives. laspilitas.com.
Mediterranean Garden Society. This international membership organization has a website with maps, articles, lists of plants and reviews of helpful books. There is a Bay Area Chapter. www.mediterraneangardensociety.org.
Waterwise Gardening in the Bay Area. This interactive Web resource from the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency was created for gardeners in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Alameda counties. Includes tips, an illustrated plant list, garden photo tour. links.sfgate.com/ZJXH.
Get inspired
Some drought-tolerant public gardens:
Allied Arts Guild, 75 Arbor Road at Cambridge Avenue, Menlo Park; (650) 322-2405; www.alliedartsguild.org. A cafe and shops benefit Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. The garden design is Mediterranean and includes areas of permeable concrete and of low-water-use plants.
Garden for the Environment, Seventh Avenue and Lawton, San Francisco; (415) 731-5627, www.gardenfortheenvironment.org. A teaching garden that includes drought-tolerant plantings, vegetables, herbs and a compost park. Call or check website to learn about upcoming gardening classes.
Ruth Bancroft Garden, 1552 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek; (925) 944-9352; www.ruthbancroftgarden.org. A large garden primarily featuring cacti, succulents and other xeric plants. Call or check website for hours, admission fees and schedule of gardening classes.
For a list of drought-tolerant demonstration gardens in Alameda County, see links.sfgate.com/ZJXI.
Rain barrels and graywater harvesting
"Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems," by Art Ludwig (Oasis Design, 2007; $20.95).
"Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond" by Brad Lancaster. (Rainsource Press; Vol. 1, $24.95, and Vol. 2, $32.95).
Property taxes are a primary source of revenue for many local governments. They're also a significant expense for homeowners, year in and year out. Even after you've paid off your mortgage, property taxes remain. That's why it's so important to understand your property tax bill. If you know how it's calculated, you'll have an idea of what your bill should be each year. Then you can budget accordingly, avoid ugly surprises and spot any costly errors on your bill.
How are Property Taxes Calculated? Your property tax bill is based on the assessed value of your property, any exemptions you qualify for and a property tax rate.
The assessed value of your property is determined on a certain date. In many jurisdictions, the value is assessed annually. In some jurisdictions, however, it's done every other year, only when the property is transferred or on another schedule. In some areas, the assessed value is the market value; in other areas, the market value is multiplied by an assessment rate to determine the assessed value.
Exemptions might include a decrease in the assessed value of your property if you are an owner-occupant (sometimes called a homestead exemption). The decrease in your property's assessed value says nothing about the actual market value of your property, but it does help lower your tax bill.
The property tax rate, also called a multiplier or mill rate, is a percentage (expressed in decimal form) by which the assessed value of your property is multiplied to determine your tax bill.
Property taxes pay for things like public schools, community colleges, libraries, local government employees' salaries, parks and recreation, sanitation, sewer, police and fire protection, roads and other local needs such as mosquito control. Each of these items can have its own percentage rate that is multiplied by the assessed value of your property to determine a portion of your bill. The taxes you owe for each item are totaled to determine your final property tax bill.
What Affects Your Property Tax Bill? In addition to the assessed value of your property, your bill is based on what your property is used for (residential, agricultural, apartment, office, commercial, vacant land and so on). Some uses, like land and buildings used for religous or spirititual purposes, may be exempt. Different uses may be taxed at different rates, but taxation should be at a uniform rate - that is, the multiplier should be the same for all properties in the same category. Within that category, factors such as your property's size, construction type, age and location can affect your tax rate.
If property tax bills are based on current real estate values in your area, you can expect differences in your bill from year to year. Even if your bill is not affected by the market value of your property, it can still be affected by changes in the tax rate for any component of the property tax.
Tax authorities can increase your bill by increasing the assessed value of your property and/or by increasing the tax rate. Likewise, they can lower your bill by decreasing the assessed value of your property and/or by decreasing the tax rate. (To learn more, see How Property Taxes Are Calculated.)
The Current Real Estate Market Effect Property taxes are determined differently in each jurisdiction, but here are some issues that are affecting owners' property tax bills this year.
In Denver, Colorado, Jason A. Letman, president of Consultus Asset Evaluation, says "most of my clients' property taxes have increased this year versus last year. The tax bill received in January was based on the 2009 valuation of the property, which confusingly has an appraisal date of June 30, 2008. In Colorado, properties are only reappraised in the odd years, so 2010 taxes paid in 2011 will be just as high."
Innkeepers Eric and Gwen Higgins of the Jefferson Inn in Jefferson, N.H., said, "Because New Hampshire has no sales tax and no income tax, property tax is the state's No. 1 source of revenue. The market and economy in general have affected us because of less other revenue such as home sales transfer tax, meals and rentals tax, vehicle registrations, etc. This has caused a deficit in the state budget, which means higher property taxes."
The Bottom Line Remember, property taxes are one of the most crucial bills to pay. You'll have to pay interest and penalties if you're late. If you don't pay, you could lose your home. Some areas offer assistance to special groups such as veterans, welfare recipients, the disabled, the blind and the elderly. Also, if your property is severely damaged or destroyed, consult your assessor's office to see if you are eligible for tax relief.
Property tax laws are set at the local level and can vary significantly depending on where you live, so the information in this article is only meant to give you a general idea of what to expect. If you need help deciphering your property tax bill, many tax jurisdictions have sections of their websites that explain it section by section. If you disagree with your property tax bill, check with your local tax authority on how to formally request a reassessment. (For more, check out Five Tricks For Lowering Your Property Tax.)
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