WCSD Notice of Public Hearing - August 3, 2017

[Wes Zuber - WWCSD]

[Bob C]

[NatLopiccolo]

The "Solid Waste Generation Service Charge," is a household hazardous waste fee that is collected by LA COUNTY Public Works.  If you are a LA COUNTY resident, and you see a $3.51 "Solid Waste Fee" on your property tax bill, this is the specific fee you are being charged.  This amount is charged on every residential parcel in LA COUNTY.  This fee funds LA COUNTY recycling efforts such as household hazardous waste disposal and recycling programs, Christmas tree disposal, and advertising for recycling events throughout LA COUNTY.   

There is a phone number next to the "Solid Waste Fee" on the LA COUNTY tax bill: (626) 458-3564.  You can contact this number to verify the information I've shared.  You can also call: (888)CLEAN-LA to get this information.  Select option #6, and it explains the fee.     

[scdesert]

[Wes Zuber - WWCSD]

San Bernardino County is pushing back and not releasing the dump card income to the Wrightwood CSD

This is not the case, quite to the contrary.

Regards,

--Wes

[scdesert]

That is what was said at the meeting on August 3rd.  Has the county agreed to release the program as of today?  Have they indicated when they would release the dump card program to the Wrightwood CSD? Are they going to pro-rate the amount already collected, since cards were just issued that go from July 2017 to June 2018? 

[Wes Zuber - WWCSD]

And now the Wrightwood CSD wants to impose taxes on a group of people who had no reasonable way to defeat this measure.

This is a little like arguing that people on Apple don't want this but the people on Spruce want that.. It is really one place, Wrightwood. And it has one government entity when it comes to street lighting, sewer planning, solid waste and parks and rec. I don't think this is a bad thing, I never thought of Wrightwood being two separate places at all.

The CSD is pretty new and it was passed by everyone in Wrightwood not just the people that happen to live over on this block or that block.
The CSD does get money for this, no doubt about it, probably not as much as we might think but lets face it the County didn't have the money or spend what they had to really help out the Community Building, the Parks and the bathrooms.. It's our town and we will take care of it like we should.

Regards,

--Wes

[Wes Zuber - WWCSD]

That is what was said at the meeting on August 3rd.  Has the county agreed to release the program as of today?  Have they indicated when they would release the dump card program to the Wrightwood CSD? Are they going to pro-rate the amount already collected, since cards were just issued that go from July 2017 to June 2018?

There really is no releasing. It will just change on your property tax bill to *CO LAND USE - WCSD 85.14 which you will get in November.

Regards,

--Wes

[Wes Zuber - WWCSD]

I should say this is for SB County so far.. if the resolution passes for LA then it would say the same thing.

Regards,

--Wes

[scdesert]

It is not all one community.  We live OUTSIDE the boundries of Wrightwood, in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, that is now part of the National Monument.  They excluded Wrightwood from National Monument status.  From all the phone calls I have made, our property sits in the National Monument.  How can Wrightwood be excluded from National Monument status, yet my property can reside in both?  Its not the same as saying someone who lives on Apple or Spruce wants different treatment.  It is people in one county being roped into a government agency and taxed by that government agency in another county.

You still have not clarified when the CSD will get the funds and the program from San Bernardino County or the date that will take place.  As I said previously, it was stated at your own meeting that San Bernardino County is pushing back on handing over the program to the CSD. Has that changed since Thursday night?

[Bob C]

Are there any streetlights in the LA county side of Wrightwood?

[scdesert]

I am not aware of any.

[Wes Zuber - WWCSD]

You still have not clarified when the CSD will get the funds and the program from San Bernardino County or the date that will take place.  As I said previously, it was stated at your own meeting that San Bernardino County is pushing back on handing over the program to the CSD. Has that changed since Thursday night?

Yes it's true the County is being stubborn about CSA-56 money. Solid waste was never part of CSA-56. CSA-56 had spent some money on a few things that they shouldn't have and are agreeing to giving back 12K so far. There is much more to go on that but it is nothing to do with Solid Waste, that is different income and expense not ever controlled by CSA-56. I don't have actual date in which the County will hand us back some of the CSA-56 money. But we're working on it.

Regards,

--Wes

[scdesert]

Thank you for answering.  So to clarify, it is possible that the county may not release the solid waste fee or dump card fee to the Wrightwood CSD, as it was never controlled by CSA-56?  This would mean that San Bernardino county would keep the unused portion of the fee collected.  Yet if this resolution passes for the LA County side, the fees collected from LA County residents would be released to the Wrightwood CSD.  At that point, the LA County residents would be paying into the CSD with the dump card monies, but the same monies collected for the dump program from San Bernardino would stay with the county, not the CSD?   

[Wrightwood]

in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, that is now part of the National Monument.  They excluded Wrightwood from National Monument status.

That's not a correct statement. No private property falls within the National Monument. LA County portion of Wrightwood is no different than the San Bernardino County portion of Wrightwood in regards to the National Monument. Both are surrounded or adjacent to the National Monument.

[Wes Zuber - WWCSD]

So to clarify, it is possible that the county may not release the solid waste fee or dump card fee to the Wrightwood CSD, as it was never controlled by CSA-56?

No the County has no say on whether the CSD should get it or not, this is why it's so much easier. The Tax Collection office just deals with the CSD directly, no County employee outside of the Tax collection office controls it. It goes from the Tax collector that does NOT act as a referee and wires it over to the CSD bank account.

This would mean that San Bernardino county would keep the unused portion of the fee collected.

This is what they used to do.. but now this money goes to the Wrightwood CSD. In fact none of the money they collected for the Solid Waste assessment went to CSA-56.

Regards,

--Wes

[scdesert]

Again, thank you for the replies.  Why then at the meeting was it stated that the county was pushing back on handing over the program and the money from that program to the CSD?

[Wes Zuber - WWCSD]

Again, thank you for the replies

It's no problem, I will try my best to answer the questions. I might get it wrong as I am learning myself how it all fits together..

Again, thank you for the replies.  Why then at the meeting was it stated that the county was pushing back on handing over the program and the money from that program to the CSD?

Because they are on what they controlled.. CSA-56 money.. NOT Solid waste, different account, different money.

Regards,

--Wes

[scdesert]

That's not a correct statement. No private property falls within the National Monument. LA County portion of Wrightwood is no different than the San Bernardino County portion of Wrightwood in regards to the National Monument. Both are surrounded or adjacent to the National Monument.

Thank you for that information - I will have to research that further! When I went to the meetings, I was told by several officials that my property WAS located within the National Monument designation.  If they have changed from what I have been told, that would be great!     

[scdesert]

Because they are on what they controlled.. CSA-56 money.. NOT Solid waste, different account, different money.

It is my understanding that dump cards were just issued for San Bernardino County that run July 1, 2017 to June 2018.  If the CSD is going to take over that program, wouldn't the money have already been remitted to the county?  It would then not be a straight, easy get the money from the taxing agency as you have mentioned.  You would still have to get what has already been remitted to the county.  If any dump cards were used during this transition period, who pays, the county or the CSD?  I think there is a lot on unanswered questions as to how all of it is going to work.  Regardless of the points on both sides of accessing the fee to LA County residents, perhaps the CSD should concentrate on resolving the issue in their own county before imposing it on others in another county.