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Yucca Valley, Ca.,- There were three meetings back-to-back this evening at the Yucca Valley Town Council. The first meeting started at 5pm with a Budget Workshop spilling into the 6pm start time of the regular Town Council meeting with unfinished business.
It was obvious the Yucca Valley Town Manager, Mark Nuaimi, wanted to continue the Budget Workshop as he pressed to return to his power-point presentation, for good reason. After swarming the Town Council with various scenarios, he convinced Mayor Merl Abel to approve putting a tax initiative on the November 2013 ballot. Mayor pro-tem Robert Lombardo immediately voiced his approval of this proposal.
Nuaimi was fidgeting with the papers in his hands waiting for the others to agree to put another tax to a vote needing 2/3rd to pass. To her credit, Councilman Dawn Rowe said “NO” because she feels ANY tax measure needs to come from the citizens as an initiative to pass otherwise it will lose at the polls. She is correct with her analysis with the most brains and testosterone on the dais.
Rowe said she spoke to several people who do not feel it is any of the Town’s business to place any tax on the ballot for the Hi-Desert Water District for the sewers. She asked, why should the Town be the lead on this issue?
Councilman George Huntington sat silent for a moment and then decided to go along with “the boys” to roll the dice for another tax measure. Nuaimi remarked he only need a simple majority to place the tax on a ballot and now he has his three count. So, with no money in the budget and no real consensus of citizen support, Nuaimi is going to double-down and throw the dice again going for a 3/4% tax for 30 years.
The past Chair person, unfazed with her defeat of Measure U, claimed there were 25 persons meeting on a citizens initiative and felt she could increase the number to 45. She urged the Town Council to support placing a new tax initiative on the ballot of 3/4% for 30 years. Nuaimi said he attended these luncheon meetings as an adviser on hand for technical support only….yeah right. It’s Deja “U” all over again with the usual “bubble people” from the defeated Measure U camp promoting another sales tax measure and tossing in Council campaign meetings.
Their proposed initiative will be multifaceted to include: 1/2% tax dedicated to the sewer project with NO monies going to the HDWD until 2018 including a mandate to pave $ 5 million dollars of roads in Phase One of the sewer project. Another 1/4% tax for 30 years to pave the roads in Phase 2 of the sewer project and asking the voters to approve a 20 year bond @4% of Measure I funds to pave the roads in Phase 3 of the sewer project…GADS!
A 3/4% tax for 30 years? It’s Deja “U” all over again…
I will report more in a follow-up story. This word count is at 497 words. Done!
Margo Sturges Author link
It sure is déjà vu all over again. Once again M. Sturges rises at a Town Council meeting to praise an idea and indicate she could support the item that was proposed, offers to do what she can to assist, and then slams the concept within 2 hours of expressing her support. WOW!
As soon as I can get a copy of the DVD, I will get the video linked to YouTube so everyone can see the double speak.
I will stand on the corner assisting to pass the Sewer Assessment. Your proposal of mandating an additional $5 million dollars to the cost of the sewer in Phase One may hurt those chances. When the sewer comes in there will be a spiral up in increased revenues for the town with higher property values as a start….oh, that’s right, you do not live here.
The Hi-Desert Water District, with the exception of Director Sarann Graham, is fighting for the lowest costs and the lowest interest rate over the longest time to reduce the cost of the sewer assessment.
Your $5 million dollar “handling charge” is too high. Period.
Here you go once again coining another catch phrase. You’re really good at slogans, really lacking in substance or solutions. The $5 million cost to fix roads in Phase 1 will still leave over $75 million to reduce costs to ratepayers. Without the sewer repairing the roads in Phase 1, the roads will be a horrible patch. But you don’t care because you don’t live in Phase 1, do you??
As to these spiraling up of increased revenues — in what year is that spiralinig going to occur? When does the sewer come in?? Oh, that’s right, 2016/17. That’s THREE YEARS from now! Please share with everyone your extensive research that supports this “spiraling increase in revenue.”
Right now, the key retail uses (our primary sources of spiraling revenues) that are not here are sit-down restaurants. A high-end, sit down restaurant will generate approximately $20,000 – $30,000 in sales tax. The 1/4% sales tax for roads will generate approximately $750,000. So to BREAK EVEN, we need twenty high-end restaurants to open up. Uh, sorry, that’s not going to happen.
And the “higher property values” that you promise with the introduction of sewer only will be realized WHEN THEY SELL. That’s how proposition 13 works in California. Adding sewer will not increase the assessed value or the property tax revenues to the Town automatically. Sewer will prevent the erosion of property taxes if/when the state steps in to deliver a mandated solution.
Let’s deal in facts and stop dealing with catchy slogans and nonsense rhetoric. The challenges of this community require innovative solutions … and just last night, you stood up before the Town Council and community and PRAISED the innovative Road Financial strategy that was presented last night.
Innovative strategy but still flawed. What are you willing to negotiate? When the $5 million dollar add-on to the sewer costs are removed and the entire 1/2% sales tax goes directly to the HDWD immediately without passing through the town, we can talk.
BTW, I live in Phase 2 and with commercial and residential investments in Phase 1 and as a resident, I do care.
Your snide remark of:”But you don’t care because you don’t live in Phase 1, do you??” is laughable coming from someone who lives in Fontana!
Go back to the drawing board and crunch the numbers so you will not be increasing the cost of the sewer by $5 million dollars. The HDWD is not going to leave open trenches when the sewer pipes are installed, besides many streets in Phase 1 are dirt roads and to mandate they be completely repaved to a slurry seal status absurd and wishful thinking on your part.
My bottom line is to pass the assessment district because, we, the residents of Yucca Valley, need to protect our drinking water source.
BTW, are we citizens still paying for the town’s Sparkletts bottled water deliveries?
You might want to go back and understand the discussion about road repairs in Phase 1. The discussion was very clear to bring forward those repairs as called out in the Town’s Pavement Management System. Dirt roads are not in the Town’s maintained road system and won’t be improved. The sewer will dig up the dirt and put back the dirt.
“The HDWD is not going to leave open trenches when the sewer pipes are installed…” Where do you pull that nonsense from?? My comment was pretty simply: if they don’t repair the entire roadway, you will have a “new” PATCH of pavement the width of their trench and the balance of the road will be the current deteriorated state.
Thanks for highlighting for everyone why you keep pushing for all the tax revenues to go to benefit Phase 1 property owners. Perhaps your “commercial and residential investments in Phase 1″ are somewhat clouding your judgment.
I also note that you didn’t answer the question concerning your extensive research as to the “spiraling revenues” and increased property values that will result from the sewer. Nope, you revert to your typical tactic of diversion by bringing in the nonsensical issue of water delivery to Town facilities. BTW, our water of choice is Arrowhead.
Good point Mr.Nuaimi-The HDWD recently changed the boundaries swinging south to include a rental property previously in Phase 2,and our commercial vacant lot will not benefit from any “Low Income” assistance. My judgement is not clouded and I have always been on point to address our sewer crisis facing my town.
Conversely, could one say your “not living here in Yucca Valley” may be clouding your judgement?
I do not have extensive research on the increasing revenues to the town but I do have common sense to know this Economic Depression will end as they all have in the past cycles. Thankfully, I am no longer in the stock market having settled for slight profits just before the big crash. I don’t have the fortitude to be a “risk taker,” preferring to sit on the sidelines until there is more market stability. And you?
The research you have provided in your earlier presentations are the basis for some of my thoughts. I look forward to seeing the big bump up from the Super Walmart retail sales coming into Yucca Valley. I am concerned with one chart that was provided indicating a drastic economic upheaval in 2017.
Yes, I am aware of Prop 13, still hanging on by a bare thread, keeping property revenues down. I have not checked on the owner-occupied household data for Yucca Valley but know there are several homes being held for investment purposes which is the reason for the recent increase in rentals. There are many multi-family/apartment complexes in Yucca Valley that do not qualify for Prop 13, as you are aware. Good point to bring up but I do not see it as a major problem at this time unless you have some other data on this.
Is Arrowhead bottled water more expensive than Sparkletts delivery?
Oh, by the way, the misinformation included in this “report” is multi-faceted.
Sales tax to the sewer at 1/2% would begin to flow immediately to HDWD upon passage. The funding in the early years would fix the roads impacted by the sewer project.. No delay until 2018 as M. Sturges misreported. There is no measure to bond agains the Measure I funds… Town council makes that decision.
For someone who stepped up to the microphone and admonish the Community to come together and then within 2 hours publish this nonsense, just amazing!
Perhaps M. Sturges is upset with me for calling her bluff on the “clipboard brigade” that she has repeatedly claimed is in the community gathering signatures. Problem is there is no initiative language to be in the community gathering signatures. Nothing has been brought to the Town attorney or Town clerk for review or certification for a formal initiative.
I refuse to enter into this fracas, but I do have a question for Mark Nuaimi unrelated to this discussion….
You have freely been posting and commenting to our site for a couple of years now… Yet the Town of Yucca Valley has never sent us a single Press Release or Public Relations packet. I don’t know about you Mark, but that sounds a little unfair since your Town sent some now defunct websites and publications press releases on a regular basis…
Just to let you know…. we have been around since 2001 as Cactusthorns. In all those years we have been able to be put on the media list for the CHP, Sheriff’s Departments of San Bernardino, Riverside and Mohave (Az) Counties. Most of the Water Boards, and the City of Twentynine Palms….. yet while the Town Manager posts to the site I could get a Press Release from the Town of Yucca Valley if my life depended on it…. So what’s up with that? Can you put a good word in for us?
Command control to space cadet Mark Nuaimi… Command control to space cadet Mark Nuaimi… Remove the plastic bubbled spacesuit.
Breath Earth air — this is not the time — once again — to raise taxes for another 30 years for roads, roads, roads, to give the money to the water district and for some sewers.
Seriously, Mark, what planet are you really from? “Planet Zombies”?
Sure Mr. Lombardo went for the fried ice cream; he’s a millionairess and the rest of the town is not.
There is no way the town is going to get a 2/3 vote for another 30 year tax for the water district, roads and some sewers not including Sky Harbor.
At lease Dawn Rowe landed here spaceship back on Planet Earth. I suggest you do the same and come out from the bubble you Zombies. She said, ” it is any of the Town’s business to place any tax on the ballot for the Hi-Desert Water District for the sewers.”
Councilman George Huntington ran out of oxygen during Measure U, and since then has been sharing the same space module as the town manager.
You are shooting yourself in the foot again, Mark.
Are you going to hire another ‘consultant’ to sell the people something they do not need during a great recession? Anyone else in your carpet bag you want hire?
If it doesn’t work come back with the same thing that failed? That is damn ignorant logic.
The Clipboard Brigade is the tax proposal led by appointed Parks n’ Rec Commissioner Meredith Jones and another citizen meeting weekly for dinner. In fact, Councilman Rowe clarified their statement at a following council meeting to add to the minutes the “Clipboard Brigade,”- the tax would be for the Town. I guess Nuaimi was checking his emails during those public comments.
No bluff Nuaimi, nor did I say they were gathering signatures…check the DVD. Remember, that new technology to records the meetings including strategic planning sessions? That’s D…V…D.