A Castaic Area Town Council member expressed frustration Thursday over delays that have caused the hillsides to lose their “manicured” look that drew many residents to the area.

The Hillcrest Parkway area, which is also known as LMD Zone 37, was initially created with an assessment of about $240 per year, a fee charged to lot owners expected to pay for landscaping and median maintenance.

(A Facebook group advocating for the return to previous service levels for county landscaping is located here.)

However, as a result of residents’ refusal to increase the fees on two other occasions to keep the charge in line with maintenance costs, Los Angeles County officials are now looking at potentially doubling that fee, in order to restore services to their previous levels.

Residents are likely to get a vote on the matter in the fall, according to Rosalind Wayman, senior deputy for Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the Santa Clarita Valley.

From a previous story: UPDATE: Castaic Hillcrest Neighborhood Could Face Steep Hike For Landscaping

Town Council member John Kunak said he could only speak as a private citizen until the council officially took a position with a vote; however, he said he shared in the frustrations with his neighbors about the lack of information that’s been put out to the public so far.

“As a private citizen, I most certainly can (speak to the issue),” he said. “When I moved here, this place was manicured every week,” Kunak said. “I walked (Hillcrest) a lot, and couldn’t believe they were filling up these burlap sacks (with cut grass). … Then it fell apart.”

He acknowledged two previous failed votes that attempted to raise the landscape maintenance fee, and criticized county outreach for part of the confusion this time around. Turnout has also been problematic for some, with figures indicating only a fraction of property owners were involved the last time around in the vote.

The council has been working with the county for a viable solution, Kunak said, and he was looking for a guarantee on an increased level of service if the fees are going to increase and a clear delineation for what the fees will cover.

“If they pulled one weed, that would be an increased level of service,” Kunak said, “so we need to know what the fee would cover. People don’t want to pay extra money.”

Wayman confirmed a meeting was planned for July, when residents would be able to give input “and to discuss the proposition 218 vote that will occur later in the year,” she said.

Kunak said he looked forward to having the discussion with residents, and felt the upcoming July Castaic Area Town Council would be the appropriate forum.

“If we could spend two and a half hours on a Taco Bell,” Kunak said, referring to a discussion at the June meeting Wednesday, “then I think we can spend a couple hours on a part of the community affecting 15,000 homes.”