City to Credit Tax to Property Owners

A bit of taxpayer relief is in sight for 737,000 property owners across the city of Los Angeles.

The city will credit $15.7 million in taxes that were overpaid toward the purchase of a Fire Department safety and paramedic communications system.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council approved crediting the property owners on their upcoming tax bills.

The tax dates back to November 1988, when voters approved a bond measure to finance $67 million in bonds to replace the system. The tax was collected from 1989 to 1998.

During the 2000-01 budget process, officials found both administrative funds that were not spent and interest earnings associated with the tax.

The city attorney’s office advised that the balance be reimbursed to the public.

Officials determined that the owners of the 737,000 parcels that were taxed will receive the credit.

For a property owner with a 1,500-square-foot dwelling, the credit would be about $11.

The credit will show up on tax bills for 2000-01 that are due in December, said Molly Campbell, head of the city’s debt administration group.