The Tulare Irrigation District (District) is committed to ensuring that our landowners and growers receive a reliable source of surface water and secondarily groundwater. The District has levied the same land assessments for approximately 30 years. However, with the changing water supply availability, regulatory atmosphere, aging infrastructure, and increasing costs of goods, the District Board of Directors has concluded that the time has come to evaluate and increase the land assessments to serve our landowners better. Through a Strategic Planning Process and Long-Range Financial Planning effort, the District has determined an assessment rate to ensure that the District can continue to provide the same level of service to the landowners and growers within the District.

The District is pursuing the assessment increase in accordance with Proposition 218 as reflected in Article XIII D of the California Constitution and Sections 53750 through 53753.5 of the State’s Government Code. The first step in this process is developing an Engineer’s Report that evaluates the benefits afforded landowners in the District for the assessment being levied. The District has completed an Engineer’s Report evaluating the proposed increases in assessments. This report will be shared and considered by the Board of Directors on June 14, 2022, at its regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting (this report itself will not increase the assessment).

Upon consideration and approval of the Engineer’s Report, the District will proceed with an outreach program with in-person and virtual workshops to discuss the assessment increase. At the closure of the outreach program, the proposed increase in assessments will be put to the vote of the landowners in the District. Ballots are anticipated to be mailed in mid-July, and a ballot count will take place toward the end of August.

The District Board of Directors and staff recognize the struggles that our landowners and growers face. We hope to provide an open and transparent process that allows our landowners to feel comfortable with an increase in their assessments. We encourage everyone to participate and engage in our process. Below is an outline of the process moving forward.

For more information, you can visit www.tulareid.org or contact the District at (559) 686-1960.