Plan OKd to Refund Utility Users Tax

Calling the solution the most practical and expedient, the City Council voted unanimously to implement a process to immediately refund to residents who file claims the ill-fated Utility Users Tax that was collected after October 1995.

But at a council meeting Wednesday night, opponents of the plan said they were entitled to a full refund of the money, dating back to June 1994 when the council first enacted the tax.

“Don’t make them ask and in some cases beg for what they are entitled to,” said resident Lyle Michelson. “I ask that you make a fair decision. . . . Refund the UUT automatically in Agoura Hills.”

But the council would not budge on the starting date, deciding that it would be less expensive and quicker to do it the way city staff proposed.

“This is a practical way of resolving this,” Councilman Ed Corridori said. “We have to be pragmatic and have to get on with the business of the city.”

Residents and businesses are expected to be notified by mail of the refund process and receive a claim form in the next two weeks.

The refund will be issued from a $1.3-million escrow account the city set up after the state Supreme Court upheld Proposition 62, which made it unlawful for cities to impose taxes without voter approval.

There are several ways residents may receive a refund, plus 6% interest. For an exact refund, claimants must supply by mid-July all utility bills showing taxes paid after Oct. 1, 1995.

Residents also may submit all gas, water, electric and phone bills for any two months after October 1995 and the refund will be calculated by averaging the amount of tax shown on the bills.