Wrightwood CSD General Discussion

[Cheapskate]

Cheryl,

Thanks for the comments about community centers and parks in the PPHCSD (this seems to be the main issue in Wrightwood).  "Local control" is a great-sounding cliche, but it seems that the county is willing to work with your CSD to make movies-in-the-park happen.  It seems the county is willing to work with Timberline Lions to make bingo happen in Wrightwood.  It seems the county is willing to work to with Snowline Players to make plays happen.

If the money/taxes that we pay to the county are there...for the asking...why do we need a CSD to improve parks and rec?  Again, I ask the movers-and-shakers of Wrightwood who propose this measure:  name the program you have asked the county to fund/allow that was refused?  And what were the grounds of the refusal? 

[Highlander]

Wow, lots of information to wrap one's head around & sounds like people on both sides of this issue have valid opinions. Some responses seem to be speculation & conjecture though.... Snowline is a major "wrench jammed in the gears" of progress or is it the County? Thanks to everyone for bringing me up-to-speed on this issue. All of the people that I spoke with were pretty much focused on the mythical sewer system. Lot's more on the table. Thanks again.

[Bob C]

It seems the county is willing to work with Timberline Lions to make bingo happen in Wrightwood.  It seems the county is willing to work to with Snowline Players to make plays happen.

I don't know that this is something the County really gets involved with... both of those organizations just "rent" the building. Not sure if county involvement is a big deal here.

If the money/taxes that we pay to the county are there...for the asking...why do we need a CSD to improve parks and rec?

I think it's more accurate to say that the pot of money we send to the county (through taxes), is there, but we have to fight with all the other unincorporated areas of the county to get a portion of that money back. With a CSD, pretty much all the money stays local (including any surplus).

[Cheapskate]

but we have to fight with all the other unincorporated areas of the county to get a portion of that money back. With a CSD, pretty much all the money stays local (including any surplus).

I guess I just want some evidence of the fight!  When has somebody asked and been refused? (...and WHY did the county refuse?  The local CSD might have to operate within the same parameters/regulations and refuse as well)

[treefrog]

Our community will have the opportunity to vote for 5 Board Member positions to represent the Wrightwood CSD at the March 7th, 2017, election.  If you are interested in running for a board member position, please visit the San Bernardino County Elections Office at: 777 East Rialto Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0770.  The deadline to apply to be a board member is December 9th, 2016. Both San Bernardino and Los Angeles County residents must apply at this location. You must be registered to vote in Wrightwood to be on the ballot.

[KW]

To clarify, does this mean we will vote on the CSD (yay or nay) at the same time as we vote for the Board Members?

[treefrog]

Yes that is correct. The question on the ballot will be yay or nay on formation of the CSD and regardless of your answer to that question, you can vote on five board members.

The link to that information from LAFCO is here (on page 2): http://www.sbcounty.gov/uploads/LAFCO/AgendaNotices/20161116/Item_06.pdf

[Cheapskate]

And to further clarify:  no one on the "pro" side has answered my question.  The parks programs you say the CSD will bring...The existing structure could bring them as well...a new layer of gov't is not necessary.  Has ANYONE applied for a program with the county and been refused?  If so, why did they refuse?  Thanks!

[treefrog]

In short, the CSA 56 management structure does not allow for us to run programs.

Currently their equivalent of a manager is spread so thin between his duties outside of Wrightwood that Wrightwood is staying at the status quo of simply managing facilities and renting out the community building and museum. We have talked about implementing programs, specifically summer programs for kids, but that has not been a possibility due to no staff to run it. The summer program that ran last year in the community building was an excellent program, run entirely by Snowline Players, a nonprofit that does not receive any support from the County.

The CSD would have the district monies going directly to Wrightwood and would not be paying staff who spend most of their time outside of Wrightwood.

You ask what programs we have asked for and been denied. That is not the right question to be asking. If I were to be asking for programs from the current management then I would know full well that I would be the one doing all the work to make it happen, as a volunteer. I donate a lot of my time to volunteer programs here in the community. In this situation the question should be, if we have the money then why isn't it being spent here in Wrightwood? Why should we make the people that spend so much of their time volunteering do this work, when we could have a paid staff do it? Why are we giving money to people who are spending all of their time in communities other than Wrightwood?

I'm guessing that someone is going to take my response and make it personal. But this is not about me. We have a corps of volunteers in this community who spend a lot of their time working to make things happen here. I and others will still do this once the CSD is formed. But the point is, the money is there, and currently we are sending it out of our community, and that does not make sense. We can leverage the taxes that we already pay, have a staff that works to put on these programs, and then volunteers like me will gladly step up to help out.

[in my dreams]

"I donate a lot of my time to volunteer programs here in the community."
Understatement of the year. . .

[treefrog]

[treefrog]

LAFCO is hosting a governance training workshop on December 8, from 10AM - 12 PM, at the Mojave Water Agency in Apple Valley. Anyone who is thinking about running for WCSD Board Seats might find this helpful.

Attached is a link to the flyer:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5J8Ta1k-_IOSEN5cHZFbXo0QUdlWG84MmlBQ1VKa056V3Fr/view?usp=sharing

[Cheapskate]

In short, the CSA 56 management structure does not allow for us to run programs.

I guess my question is, why can other CSAs pull it off but not ours?

From the CSA 20 (Joshua Tree) website, http://www.specialdistricts.org/index.aspx?page=134  "We are always seeking individuals interested in becoming Independent Contractors offering various programs to the community. Contact the community center to learn more about opportunities and the details of how to submit a proposal." Is their management structure or governing docs, charter, whatever different than ours?

It looks like CSA 29 (Lucerne  Valley) has senior programs and is trying to create adult sports leagues.  http://csa29.com/Home.html

I was looking for some CSD's with thriving parks programs, one that leapt out was near Sacramento, http://www.yourcsd.com/541/Parks-Facilities-Stations.  Looking at their activity guide, virtually all of the programs -- mommy and me, kids sports, etc. -- are fee-based.  Presumably to cover the cost of renting the facility for an hour and paying the instructor.

(the CSD does have 1) paid staff, some full-time with a professional salary to organize/oversee the programs, and 2) presumably an elected board who hires the staff)

If the programs are going to be fee-based anyway, why not just keep the current CSA and create the programs like the other CSAs?

[lagomorphmom]

I guess my question is, why can other CSAs pull it off but not ours?

From the CSA 20 (Joshua Tree) website, http://www.specialdistricts.org/index.aspx?page=134  "We are always seeking individuals interested in becoming Independent Contractors offering various programs to the community. Contact the community center to learn more about opportunities and the details of how to submit a proposal." Is their management structure or governing docs, charter, whatever different than ours?

It looks like CSA 29 (Lucerne  Valley) has senior programs and is trying to create adult sports leagues.  http://csa29.com/Home.html

I was looking for some CSD's with thriving parks programs, one that leapt out was near Sacramento, http://www.yourcsd.com/541/Parks-Facilities-Stations.  Looking at their activity guide, virtually all of the programs -- mommy and me, kids sports, etc. -- are fee-based.  Presumably to cover the cost of renting the facility for an hour and paying the instructor.

This is a good question. Since you have already done most of the  hard work by identifying like-CSAs and researched what they have to offer, it would avoid reinventing the wheel if you could contact them to ask why they did it and would they do it again. I think we'd all appreciate it.

On your other point, I would would think fee for service would be quite expensive for smaller populations liie ours with no money coming back for the programs. I wonder if population size was part of their formula?

[Cheapskate]

I would would think fee for service would be quite expensive for smaller populations liie ours with no money coming back for the programs. I wonder if population size was part of their formula?

Interesting point. You are basically admitting that demand for additional service will be so small that the costs can't be covered without subsidy.  There are actually many public and private programs already.  For youth: Little League, soccer, school band, and the Snowline Players in the community building..  For adults: there is a hiking club, bingo in the community building, a yoga studio next to the dentist, etc.  Not to mention programs and offerings at the country club.

And what money is coming back for programs?  According to the LAFCO budget p. 24 of 35, http://www.wrightwoodcalif.com/CSD/LAFCO.CSD.Presentation.8.30.16.pdf, there is no line item for additional money for parks programs.  Perhaps you will tell all of us it is coming from "miscellaneous"?  (if I was more sophisticated, I would post an image of the budget, but my skills aren't there yet, ha!)

I think that most parks programs (if any, because the PPHCSD doesn't have any) offered by the new CSD will have a fee.  Which means that anyone right now, under the current system, can rent the community building and charge a fee for their expertise.  So what does a CSD change other than creating a few county jobs?  To many, "creating a few county jobs" is the slippery slope of expanding government...

My point is:  Google "Wrightwood CSA 56" and you get a webpage for parks and recreation.  That is the mission. The MAC minutes are full of everything other than parks. Programs could be offered now, because other CSAs have found a way to offer them.  Not attempting to expand parks programs under the current structure is a choice that the current CSA board makes...perhaps because no one is asking.  I am simply a mortal with 2 eyes and a brain.  Whatever parts of my analysis are wrong, please refute, I value truth more than being "right".

[Wrightwood]

Public Notice of Election for Wrightwood CSD

[Wrightwood]

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Wrightwood MAC

An election will be held on March 7, 2017 to determine if registered voters within the community of Wrightwood wish to create a locally-governed community services district. The ballot will also contain a contest to elect a five-member Board of Directors who will take office if the formation of the Wrightwood Community Services District is approved by voters.

Candidate filing for this proposed district is underway and will continue through 5 p.m. Friday, December 9. Citizens residing within the proposed district who are interested in running for the Wrightwood Community Services District Board of Directors may obtain and file the appropriate documents at the San Bernardino County Elections Office, 777 E. Rialto Avenue in San Bernardino from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Elections Office is accepting documents for candidates residing in San Bernardino County and Los Angeles County. Completed candidate filing documents must be filed at the Elections Office by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 9, 2016.
For more information on this election, please visit the Elections Office website at SBCountyElections.com or call (909) 387-8300.

[tcaarabians]

Just a short message as to why I'm glad we have a CSD here in Phelan/Pinon Hills.  I know the WW CSD proposal does not include water services. The point of my message here is why I'm very glad there is a local CSD.

I had a water leak that was the "leak from Hades" .. in that we would have had to dig to Hades to find it. The Phelan/Pinon Hills CSD staff couldn't have been more helpful.  They gave me updated water use reports as we'd find the 'possible leak'.. they sent staff here to walk the property with me.  They were just so darn helpful. And, they were LOCAL!!

The leak is fixed!! Hurrah!!  And, Chris Doran of Doran Construction here locally was the one that did it. I can't say enough good things about his company's work.

Those of you in WW are contemplating a CSD with a shorter list of services.  Perhaps some of you think "if it ain't broke don't fix it."  I write to suggest to you that a local CSD with the ability to oversee local concerns brings your government closer to the community.  It isn't an added layer of bureaucracy.. it's  removing the far away layer of government and replacing it with one closer to home.  That's it.  cheryl o7o

[Jirka]

It isn't an added layer of bureaucracy.. it's  removing the far away layer of government and replacing it with one closer to home.  That's it.  cheryl o7o

That's what we've been thinking - Perfect! Well said, Cheryl. Thank you.

[Cheapskate]

It isn't an added layer of bureaucracy.. it's  removing the far away layer of government and replacing it with one closer to home.  That's it.  cheryl o7o

Respectfully, that is only true if the jobs of the people administering the "far away layer" are eliminated.  I have my doubts about that (does anyone actually know?).  I understand that having a CSD might have some benefits, but let's not deceive ourselves.