The Yucca Valley Town Council approved their 2012-13 budget last night, but not without some dissension, Managing editor Tami Roleff was there and files this report…
The Yucca Valley Town Council heard at its meeting last night that the 2012-13 budget is a “mixed bag.” It’s better than last year, but there are still a lot of cuts and deferred infrastructure maintenance. The most discussion was about whether the Town should reduce its subsidy to the Boys and Girls Club by $5,000, to $43,000. Nearly a dozen residents pleaded for the full amount, and even the Council members thought that $5,000 could be found somewhere to fully fund the Boys and Girls Club. Mayor Dawn Rowe convinced the Council to hold off on fully funding the Club until the Council had its mid-year review of the budget. Council member Robert Lombardo and Mayor Pro Tem Isaac Hagerman voted against the budget because they didn’t want to cut the Club’s funding, although Lombardo apologized for his vote later, saying he misunderstood, and didn’t realize the Council would get a mid-year review. In other business, the Town entered into an agreement with the Hi-Desert Water District, in which it would pay the District $400,000 for water, which Town officials estimate will last the Town for 10 years. The agreement was described as win-win for both agencies; the Water District gets a cash infusion which it can use in the sewer project, and the Town gets low-cost water for 10 years, along with saving an estimated $400,000 over 10 years.
YUCCA VALLEY TOWN COUNCIL APPROVES 2012-13 BUDGET
