North Park Maintenance Assessment District (MAD)

Why it matters to you

Members may wonder if they have any control over the types of maintenance and services provided here in North Park. Communicating through the Advisory Committee to the MAD is one way to make your voice heard. This article explains what the MAD is, how decisions are made, how it has benefited North Park, and what to do to get involved.

• To see the geographic boundaries of the MAD in North Park, click here.
• To see the Assessment Engineer's Report that describes what your assessments can pay for in North Park, click here.
• To see the FY 2010 Budget for the MAD click here.

Basics
The North Park Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) is a legal mechanism by which property owners can vote to assess themselves to pay for and receive services above and beyond what the City normally provides in the areas of street lights, street cleaning and landscape maintenance. The North Park MAD was created in 1996 and was approved by a majority vote of property owners in 1998. A MAD is considered a special district under State law.

MAD activities are governed by an Assessment Engineers Report (AER), which outlines the scope of benefits to be provided by the MAD and the district boundaries for the MAD. Any changes to the AER must be approved by a majority vote of property owners in the district.

What has the MAD done and what does it currently do for North Park: The MAD can pay for two types of benefits in North Park—capital improvements and maintenance.

Capital improvements completed:

1. Installation of 150 additional mid block streetlights;
2. Planting of over 200 trees along streets in the public median; and
3. Preliminary design for the Switzer Canyon Bridge Enhancement Project.

Maintenance projects:

1. Maintenance of the trees planted by the MAD plus the ability to maintain over 200 additional street trees planted by other entities and community groups;
2. Maintenance of the landscape median along El Cajon Boulevard between Park Boulevard and I-805;
3. Cleaning, maintenance and energy costs for the El Cajon Blvd. and North Park community signs;
4. Maintenance of streetscape (e.g. sidewalk and décor) improvements along University Avenue and 30th Street;
5. Additional street cleaning along El Cajon Blvd, University Avenue, and 30th Street including sidewalk steam cleaning in certain areas of University Avenue and 30th Street;
6. Maintenance of the North Park portal at University and I-805;
7. Additional trimming of trees in the public median when they pose a safety hazard;
8. Miscellaneous rebate funding for sidewalk repairs in conjunction with City programs; and
9. Maintenance of the Switzer Canyon Bridge project when completed.

Who decides how MAD funds are spent? Working with a community advisory committee, City staff prepares a budget each year which reflects the
maintenance projects authorized by the AER and the needs of the district as identified by the Advisory Committee.

Why should I get involved? The City staff is very responsive to the MAD Advisory Committee, and although the Committee does not control decisions, its votes matter to the City staff when budgeting these special resources. The money from MAD assessments may not be taken for other parts of the city or other projects beyond the engineer’s report (AER) mentioned above.

The Advisory Committee is a volunteer group comprised of members representing various community groups active in North Park and one resident homeowner. The Committee’s function is to advise City staff on how to allocate assessment money and to act as an oversight group to insure the work is being accomplished. The Committee meets almost every month and the meetings are open to the public.

What is the NPCA’s role? As members of the NPCA and residents of North Park, you can help make sure money is spent or saved in ways that benefit all of North Park. Our role as a community organization is to help our members get involved, provide information about voting decisions of the committee, and advocate for the interests of the whole community.