Local News

TWENTYNINE PALMS WATER REJECTS CITY’S BAILOUT OFFER

In a special meeting last week, the Twentynine Palms City Council voted to contribute up to $1.7 million to the water district’s unfunded pension fund, since the county won’t proceed with the annexation of the fire department without a plan of how the unfunded liability will be paid. At a hastily called special meeting last night, the Twentynine Palms Water District’s board of directors met to consider the city’s offer. Managing editor Tami Roleff broke off her vacation to attend the meeting and files this report…
“The city’s proposal to provide funds … is unheard of in my experience.”
LAFCO’s executive director Kathleen Rollings-McDonald told the Twentynine Palms Water District’s board of directors at a special meeting last night that it was unprecedented for one agency to offer to pay the unfunded liabilities of another agency, which, in the case of the water district, is $3 million, more or less. Despite the unprecedented offer, the district’s board of directors, led by Director Sam Moore, shot it down. “Personally, I don’t think the water department needs to pay any money because it’s coming out of the rate-payers’ money, their pockets. If the city council wants to go ahead and help the district to annexation, there it is, there’s the money, cough it up.”
Director Carol Giannini chided the water district for resisting taking over the fire departmnet. “I have often wondered why the city has been so resistant, and it’s been publicly trying to be portrayed that it’s the water board that’s been resistant joining into a partnership with the city. It’s actually the other way around. It’s the city that’s been resistant to accepting responsibility of the safety of the citizens and even considering joining into a partnership with the water district.” Giannini added that residents need to speak up if they want to stop the annexation to the county. “Come to the board meetings, especially Desert Heights residents. If you really want to stop them, it’s in the citizens’ power.”
With the rejection of the city’s offer, the water district will not meet the deadline of December 2 to have its transition plan to LAFCO. Rollings-McDonald told the board that if LAFCO does not have the information it needs by February 17, it would be impossible to meet the fiscal year July 1 deadline.

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