A Kensington budget needs to distinguish ordinary household bills from the obligations of a particular hillside site. Water service, sewer collection, wastewater treatment and private drainage work are different expenses. A tax statement can already include several public charges, while retaining or drainage maintenance may require a separately defined private scope. Build the annual plan from the actual property file and leave the unknown inputs visible. A precise-looking total is not useful if it combines unrelated assumptions or counts the same charge twice.
This model is checked October 26, 2026. It uses two actual current-year County tax statements and separate hypothetical EBMUD utility calculations at published July 2026 rates. No actual private utility bills, insurer quotes or contractor estimates were supplied. The utility scenarios are not assigned to the named tax examples. The original worksheet can be completed with the household’s own evidence without implying that a public statement predicts a buyer’s future taxes or private repair costs.
Begin with actual public tax statements
The County current-year statement for 265 Purdue Avenue, parcel 570-191-014-2, bill 2026-367575, shows $14,020.60 in ad valorem taxes and $1,658.20 in special taxes and assessments. Their annual sum is $15,678.80. The 126 Highland Boulevard statement, parcel 572-090-003-3, bill 2026-368792, shows $6,977.04 and $1,795.22, totaling $8,772.26. These are dated current-owner records, not sales, new-owner estimates or evidence of current availability.
Both examples show the same 1.2746% combined ad valorem rate but different taxable assessments and fixed-charge totals. The annual difference is $6,906.54. That is not a measured difference in market value or private maintenance. It demonstrates why a buyer should obtain a separate transaction-specific tax estimate instead of carrying forward an existing owner’s bill. Preserve the underlying statement and distinguish its fiscal period and assessment information from the prospective acquisition calculation.
Each example already includes a $443 Stege sewer charge and a $173.48 EBMUD wet-weather charge in the special-assessment total. If the full annual statement is entered in the budget, those lines should be identified there rather than added again as separate annual expenses. District labels on a tax statement can remain useful even when the service organization has changed. Do not remove an actual levy from the model merely because its printed name reflects historical arrangements.
The fixed-charge comparison is also worth reading separately. Highland’s special-charge total exceeds Purdue’s by $137.02, the amount of its displayed WCCUSD parcel-tax line. That does not make either bill a template for every Kensington home, and this research does not determine why that line differs. It shows how an apparently large difference in annual totals can involve both assessment-based taxes and parcel-specific levies. Preserve those separate causes instead of attributing the entire total difference to the physical quality of the residence.
Separate collection, treatment and private repair
Stege’s rate explanation distinguishes its collection and conveyance role from EBMUD’s separate wastewater treatment charge. Its webpage displays fiscal-year 2025–26 amounts, so this draft does not carry that older displayed figure into the current budget. The two actual statements above supply their own current Stege line. For a different address, obtain the current bill and applicable classification rather than assuming the same levy.
EBMUD’s July 2026 wastewater schedule separately identifies service, strength, flow and pollution-prevention components, with the wet-weather charge collected on the property tax bill. A private lateral or storm-drain repair is another matter. Obtain actual system records and an appropriate scope where investigation identifies a concern. A collection levy and treatment payment do not mean that every private pipe, wall drain or yard inlet will be repaired through those public payments.
Make elevation a stated water assumption
The current EBMUD water schedule includes a service charge, volumetric tiers and elevation surcharges. For a deliberately simple illustration, assume an individually billed single-family account, a 5/8- or 3/4-inch meter and five CCF of use per month. At the July 2026 schedule, the selected base water components are $28.60 plus five times $8.40, or $70.60 monthly. Twelve identical months produce $847.20.
Keeping those assumptions fixed, Elevation Band 2 adds five times $1.33 monthly, producing $927.00 for twelve months. Band 3 instead adds five times $2.84, producing $1,017.60. These are account-band sensitivities, not classifications assigned from a view, street name or a home’s apparent height. Obtain the actual elevation designator and meter information from the account before selecting a scenario. A topographic impression is not the billing determination.
The model uses monthly equivalents for transparent arithmetic. EBMUD generally bills residential service bimonthly, so the account’s actual statement will cover the relevant meter-reading period. Compare the actual dates, usage and charges before annualizing. If the household’s use reaches higher tiers, recalculate the usage portion rather than multiplying every unit by the lowest rate. No private fire-service fee, drought surcharge or other unverified account-specific item is silently included here.
| Example | Ad valorem | Special taxes/assessments | Annual total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 265 Purdue Avenue; APN 570-191-014-2; bill 2026-367575 | $14,020.60 | $1,658.20 | $15,678.80 |
| 126 Highland Boulevard; APN 572-090-003-3; bill 2026-368792 | $6,977.04 | $1,795.22 | $8,772.26 |
| Already included in each special-charge total | Stege sewer $443.00 and EBMUD wet weather $173.48; do not add twice. | ||
| Elevation band | Monthly selected calculation | Annualized water components |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $28.60 + 5 × $8.40 = $70.60 | $847.20 |
| 2 | $70.60 + 5 × $1.33 = $77.25 | $927.00 |
| 3 | $70.60 + 5 × $2.84 = $84.80 | $1,017.60 |
| Separate illustrative treatment, five CCF/month | $10.94 + $11.38 + $0.20 + 5 × $1.97 = $32.37 | $388.44; excludes tax-billed wet weather and Stege collection. |
| Feature | Obtain before funding | Budget treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Retaining feature | Responsibility, qualified condition review, actual repair/replacement scope and access. | Separate routine care, investigation and capital work. |
| Private drainage / lateral | System route, rights, records, applicable certificates and scoped evaluation. | Public service charges do not replace private repair allowance. |
| Insurance and systems | Actual current quote, relevant coverage terms and system-specific work estimates. | Separate annual premium, deductible cash exposure and one-time work. |
Sources: Purdue statement, Highland statement, water schedule and treatment schedule. Obtain the actual transaction estimate, service account and private quotes before combining costs.
Build private maintenance from the actual site
Make a component register for the residence and grounds. Identify material retaining structures, accessible drainage, roof-water arrangements and other features relevant to the actual property. Assign the responsible party from records where ownership or shared rights matter. The County’s home-improvement resources distinguish retaining, grading, drainage and geotechnical subjects. The scope of a necessary project should follow the actual feature and appropriate professional advice, not a general hillside label.
Separate regular care from investigation and capital work. A recurring visit to maintain an accessible component is different from a diagnostic study or replacement of a supporting improvement. Obtain written scope, assumptions, access arrangements and current contractor pricing for identified work. Avoid converting an old permit valuation, public infrastructure budget or percentage of purchase price into a private repair estimate. Those figures do not measure the work the selected site needs.
For work that affects access, plan how people, materials and equipment will reach the relevant area. Ask whether the estimate includes design, necessary approvals, site protection and restoration where applicable. Do not assume those costs are absent because the first quote describes only the visible replacement. Keep unresolved scope items beside the estimate so the household can see what would change the funding decision.
Use current insurance and service information
Request a dated insurance quote for the actual residence and relevant risks. The California Department of Insurance guide provides background for coverage questions, not a Kensington premium. Distinguish the annual premium from deductibles, exclusions and optional coverages. A household’s ability to obtain particular coverage should be verified from current underwriting evidence, not inferred from an older neighbor’s policy or the presence of local fire services.
The current KCSD governance page confirms consolidation effective October 2025. That administrative change does not establish that every charge disappeared or merged into one bill. Reconcile the actual tax and service records, including refuse and any separate account charges, before estimating savings or adding allowances. Keep energy and other household inputs tied to the actual current account information.
Make the payment plan as useful as the annual figure
Organize the completed budget into recurring annual obligations, transaction-period amounts and separately scheduled work. A payment already collected through a tax impound is not another expense merely because it appears on both a lender statement and a tax bill. An adopted or contracted one-time project should have its own cash schedule. Where private inputs are still missing, leave those lines open and identify the next evidence needed rather than presenting the selected public components as a complete cost of ownership.
Use the worksheet with the financing guide, the Kensington hub and the Contra Costa County guide. The result should explain what is paid, to whom, for which period and on what evidence, while preserving a separate plan for the particular home’s maintenance and capital needs.
