Opinion ID: 2629200
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: conclusion

Text: Before beginning to provide water service to real property through a new connection, the District requires its new customers to pay a capacity fee and a fire suppression fee. Both of these fees are used to fund capital improvements, the former to the water system and the latter to the volunteer fire department. Because these fees are imposed only on the self-selected group of water service applicants, and not on real property that the District has identified or is able to identify, and because neither fee can ever become a charge on the property itself, we conclude that neither fee is subject to the restrictions that article XIII D imposes on property assessments and property-related fees. We also conclude that the District could properly use a resolution to amend an ordinance establishing these fees. The judgment of the Court of Appeal is reversed and the matter is remanded to that court with directions to affirm the trial court's judgment. WE CONCUR: GEORGE, C.J., BAXTER, WERDEGAR, CHIN, BROWN and MORENO, JJ.