08 Oct Twentynine Palms and Wonder Valley’s battle with County Fire and FP5
Wonder Valley 2018
Shortly after Wonder Valley residents voted to become part of County Fire, property owners were encumbered with an additional fire fee, ranging from $321-$489. Through a bureaucratic loophole, property taxes were raised and did not require a public vote.
Sound familiar? It is the same loophole that unincorporated communities such as Twentynine Palms throughout our County are victim to today. County Fire threatened residents of Wonder Valley that if they did not approve this fee increase, they would lose fire services. Now, they are threatening Twentynine Palms.
Wonder Valley fended for themselves for years, paying only $37 annually for fire services. That was enough to pay their firefighters and even build a specialized water tender that could store over 2,000 gallons of water.
After County Fire took over and proposed new fees, they removed the tender and closed Station 45. Thinking it may have been a temporary closure, Tracey Martinez – PR for County Fire, said that they had no plans to ever reopen the Wonder Valley Fire Station. The more fees that are implemented, the fewer services County Fire provides.
Chief Hartwig led the proposal of added fees in Wonder Valley and led the proposal of the expansion of FP-5. He threatens small towns and unincorporated communities to give County Fire money or he cuts their safety net. But as Wonder Valley has learned, County Fire will cut the safety net regardless.
County Fire blamed the inept water quality as the reason for the closure. Instead of fixing the “so-called” issue, they left Wonder Valley high and dry with a “so-called” poor water quality supply. Shortly after, they indicated that they would be leasing it out to another service provider, proving to Wonder Valley residents that there was never a problem with the water.
Today, Wonder Valley residents are without their local fire station, are encumbered with sky-rocketing property fees, and are at risk. Do not let the same results happen to our unincorporated communities of Twentynine Palms, Needles, and Hesperia.
This November, we have numerous decisions to make that can change our lives, our futures, and our County. One of those is Measure U. It repeals the illegal FP-5 tax that the Board of Supervisors put in place. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association supports repealing the FP-5 tax and so should you. Vote No on Measure U.
