Stone Creek Park is one of the parks residents of Morgan Hill feel has been neglected by the landscaping contractors.Photo: waymarking.com
Some residents of Morgan Hill, California, don’t think they’re getting their money’s worth for the annual tax they pay to fund landscaping services for shared areas of residential neighborhoods.
The city uses the tax money to pay two landscaping contractors to mow, remove weeds and maintain other vegetation.
“They’re not doing anything,” Morgan Hill resident Paul Neal told The Morgan Hill Times. “I have to call them to get something done. It makes me mad because nobody seems to care.”
About 750 homes in Morgan Hill are taxed through the city’s landscape assessment district. According to Morgan Hill Community Services Director Chris Ghoine, the district contains 20 different neighborhoods and each has a different amount levied for landscaping services. The annual parcel tax ranges from $50 to more than $500 per household.
“We’ve had to follow up with the contractor on some issues,” Ghoine said. “We have to make sure they’re doing a good job. How well they do regularly is something we have to monitor with all our contractors. Some contractors do a better job than others.”
Some residents say they wouldn’t be complaining if the landscaping companies were doing the job.
“It’s not necessarily the amount of money,” says Robert Wolford, a homeowner in Llagas Creek Estates. “It’s simply the fact we’re not getting any service out of it.”
