ROSSMOOR : Vote Planned on Tax for Perimeter Wall

Voters will decide in a June election whether they are willing to tax themselves to pay for the cost of repairing and maintaining the Rossmoor perimeter wall.

The Rossmoor Community Services District decided Wednesday to put the wall issue on the ballot after a survey by the Rossmoor Homeowners Assn. indicated that residents want the 37-year-old wall preserved because of its historical value.

“Our work is done,” said Shirley Bailey, president of the homeowners association, which has been behind the effort to repair the brick perimeter wall since a 100-foot section of it collapsed during an earthquake in June, 1992. “Now it’s up to the voters.”

She added that the 1,200-member homeowners association will continue to provide information on both sides of the issue to help voters decide.

If passed, owners of the community’s 3,555 parcels would pay about $15 a year for 20 years to repair the wall and create a trust fund for its maintenance, according to Bill Sheldon, the service district’s general manager.

But because it will be a special tax, 67% of the community’s 6,800 registered voters must approve the measure for it to go into effect, Sheldon said.

“I’ll pay mine now,” said Everett Knell, a 15-year Rossmoor resident, who said the wall helps keep property values up. “I’ll pay for my neighbors if they don’t want to pay.”

Milt Petersen, vice president of the homeowners association, said he is confident the proposal will pass. “There is a significant number in our community that considers the wall an important community asset,” Petersen said.

In last month’s survey, sent to 3,748 homes, 63% of those who responded said they favor an election to determine if property owners should pay the special tax to repair and maintain the wall.

On whether the wall is important to the community, 80% said it is. Just a slight majority, 56%, said they will pay to maintain the wall, Petersen said.

The survey was conducted because some members of the five-member board that runs the community district said they wanted to make sure there was support for an election because of the expense involved.

Until May, the 1 1/2-mile-long wall, beginning at Hedwig Road and extending south along Los Alamitos Boulevard and Seal Beach Boulevard, was a political football. Public agencies, the county, the community services district and the neighboring cities of Seal Beach and Los Alamitos refused responsibility for its repair and maintenance.

If the vote fails, Seal Beach will tear down the damaged portion of the wall to avoid liability in case part of it falls on someone, Bailey said.