CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR TWENTYNINE PALMS FIRE TAX FORMED

In the wake of the decision of the Twentynine Palms Water District to retain control of the Fire Department, a Citizens Advisory Committee has been formed to help the District plot a way through the financial consequences of that decision. Reporter Dan Stork observed the Committee’s first meeting last night, which saw zero members of the public attend…

The members of the Twentynine Palms Water District Citizens Advisory Committee – Mary Reeves, Adam Lund, Randy Leazer, Tony Jimenez, and Larry Bowden – began their first meeting by introducing themselves and giving their reasons for service. They share a desire to preserve fire department services. After selecting Lund as chair and Bowden as vice-chair, they set about brainstorming – with the help of Fire Chief Jim Thompson – a catalog of background information that Thompson will gather for their education. Topics included: funding history; tax measure constraints; revenue sources; levels of fire protection services; voting target dates; ways of phrasing a ballot measure; Joint Powers Authority structure; fire facilities impact fees; public outreach methods; insurance impacts; and the timeline for getting something done.
The Committee has a nominal lifetime of six months, which could be extended, depending on what approaches it comes up with.