Local News

HI-DESERT WATER DISTRICT POSTPONES ASSESSMENT DISTRICT BALLOT

An overflow crowd sat through more than 3 ½ hours of discussion on the Yucca Valley sewer project and assessment district vote at a special meeting held last night by the Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors. Managing editor Tami Roleff says that even after all that discussion, not much was accomplished…
The Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors—and several Yucca Valley residents—resisted staff’s recommendation that the water district postpone mailing out the ballot for the sewer project’s assessment district vote for 7 or 8 weeks. Staff wanted to wait until the water district had a finalized loan interest rate and assessment amount for residents. Directors and the public stressed they want the ballot out to residents as soon as possible. Dawn Rowe pointed out that the difference in monthly payments between a 0 percent loan and 1.5 percent loan was insignificant. “If we’re talking about $10 a month, and all the public outreach that’s gone out, and all the time and momentum for a fairly insignificant monthly amount, and we’re going to spend tens of thousands of dollars more in outreach to carry this?” Tim Humphreville said the time and money the water district would spend on public outreach wasn’t worth it. “Mrs. Rowe was right; the outreach costs more money. We need to get the assessment district done and the vote passed.” Staff said the ballots hadn’t even been printed yet, so there was no way the water district could mail out ballots next week to meet the original August 14 deadline, and urged directors to wait until September to mail out ballots after the State Water Quality Control Board has assigned an interest rate for the loan. Finally, the directors agreed to continue the meeting and the discussion to August 13 when staff would have more information about how long it would take to have ballots ready to be mailed, and what the state board’s recommendation would be for an interest rate. Earlier in the meeting, during a long discussion about the engineer’s report on the sewer system, directors urged residents to attend the Tuesday meetings at 9 a.m. or 6 p.m. for answers to specific questions about sewer project.

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