The City Council will conduct public hearings on Tues., June 9 on landscaping, lighting and sewer costs for certain residents along with annual operating budgets and capital improvement plans for the city and the redevelopment agency.

Department topics other than public hearings aren't available to the public until the city, by law, allows residents to know the meeting agenda. Those items will be made public tomorrow morning on the city's website at www.toaks.org.

The landscaping and lighting assessment hearing will cover the annexation of properties into the city's landscape and lighting assessment district. Those properties will then be charged about $11 a year each for street and traffic lights in the city.

It will also be determined if those properties are in one of the 39 districts in Thousand Oaks that are charged for tract-enhanced landscaping that costs from $35 to $348 each per year depending on the extent of the landscaping the city needs to do.

The enhanced landscaping districts make up about $2.8 million of the city's $6.8-million landscaping budget. The rest of the budget is for general benefit landscaping that's available for all residents enjoy.

"This helps keep the city nicely maintained. It gives the city its feel that people like so much," said Mark Watkins, public works director.

The sewer assessment hearing is an annual process that allows the city to levy a lien on properties to eventually collect wastewater money from customers who've been notified several times that their bills of about $50 for two months' service are more than 120 days past due.

In 2008 there were 187 accounts past due, totaling $48,000. This year 312 accounts totaling $68,000 are past due.

—Nancy Needham