Landers Special Districts road maintenance redo timeline

Recently the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors voted not to proceed with the mail ballot election concerning Landers special districts road maintenance.

That will cause the county to reset their public hearings, outreach and approvals for the project. Annelies Kuiper has an update.

In 1996 proposition 218 was passed in California restricting local governments and utility providers from raising fees or taxes without majority voter approval. Landers property owners experienced the workings of prop 218 late last year when they were notified by the San Bernardino County department of public works that property taxes would have to be raised by $75 annually in order to assure that there is enough money to properly grade and maintain dirt roads for Landers property owners.

Special districts road maintenance provide services like road grading in unincorporated areas and are funded by property taxes not general gas taxes. It was made quite clear that if voters did not approve this annual tax hike, the special district road maintenance would likely be dissolved. Informational meetings and a public hearing were held; most property owners agreed that a tax increase was necessary. 

At the recent Landers Homestead Valley Association board meeting, San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe explained why the Proposition 218 process for the Landers special districts road maintenance Zone R-15 will have to be repeated. This includes re-noticing property owners and a new Public Hearing. When the vote was taken recently by the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors whether to proceed with the mail ballot election, Supervisors Hagman and Baca voted yes, Supervisor Armandarez abstained, Supervisor Cook voted no and Supervisor Rowe was on a plane and did not vote at all. Less than 25 protest letters were received so a majority protest was not reached.

Supervisor Rowe explains what needs to happen in order to ensure that this issue will be reinitiated and implemented for next year.

Dawn Rowe: “So, what is before you is outlined for the Board of Supervisors to incur the cost of bringing this back. It will not be passed along to R15. It’s the least we can do.

We will try to get this very tight timeline passed. I commit to you that I will not be missing any other Supervisorial meetings for any reason between now and the time that this happens. Then, if this passes, which I would imagine that it would, then it would be on your tax rolls for implementation next year, along with the other districts.I am told that there can be no glitch because the timing is so tight.” 

The Proposition 218 mandated Public Hearing will take place on May 19, 2026