TO: Napa County Housing Commission
FROM: Jennifer Palmer, Executive Director
REPORT BY: Alex Carrasco, Project Manager
SUBJECT: County Service Area No.4 Engineer’s Report for Fiscal Year 2026-2027
RECOMMENDATION
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Review County Service Area No.4 Engineer’s Report (“Report”) for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and recommend the Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution accepting the Report.
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BACKGROUND
County Service Area No.4 (“CSA No.4”) is a special district funds the operation, maintenance, and development of public farmworker housing through an annual assessment (“Assessment”) of land containing at least one acre of planted vineyards. CSA No.4 currently acts as a funding mechanism to support the Napa County Housing Authority (“NCHA”) in operating the Calistoga, River Ranch, and Mondavi Farmworker Centers (“Centers”), which operate 330 days per calendar year and have a combined capacity of up to 180 daily lodgers. The Centers serve an essential role in housing a labor force that is at the core of the gross agricultural production in the Napa Valley.
To determine the annual Assessment, an Engineer’s Report (“Report”) is prepared by a licensed engineer (see attachment). The Report serves several important purposes including:
(1) Description and History of CSA No.4;
(2) Farmworker Centers Operational Budget;
(3) Method by which Engineer determined the amount proposed to be assessed against each parcel;
(4) Map showing all the parcels of real property within CSA No.4; and
(5) An assessment roll, showing the amount proposed to be specially assessed against each parcel of real property within CSA No.4
Per state legislation, the maximum property owners can be assessed per acre is $15.00. If need be, the Assessment can increase by $1.00 annually until the maximum Assessment equals $15.00. In addition, as the assessment increases by $1.00 the tenant rental rate increases by $1.00.
For Fiscal Year 2026-2027, the Report notes there are 46,039 assessable planted vineyard acres. Assessing 46,039 acres at a rate of $14.00 per acre will generate a total of $644,554 in revenue to support operation of the Centers. The $14.00 per acre rate represents no increase from prior fiscal year.
Procedurally, the Board of Supervisors will review the Report, adopt a resolution to accept the Report, and schedule a public hearing. Once adopted, the Board will levy the Assessment for each parcel. The levied Assessments are submitted to the County Assessor’s Office and are included on the property tax bills for the affected parcels. Finally, the County updates its database of exiting planted vineyard acreage within CSA No.4.
PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS
1. Staff Report
2. Public comment
3. Motion, second, discussion and recommendation the Board adopt a resolution to accept the Report
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.