Morongo Valley residents heard the results of a special study on the community service district’s finances. Reporter Mike Lipsitz said there was some good news, and some maybe not-so-good news…
Morongo Valley residents learned last night results of a Special Study of their Community Services District by the Local Agency Formation Commission. The study determined that since last January great strides by the CSD board and general manager Donna Munoz have changed the district’s two-year financial trajectory from a path toward certain insolvency to one where there is a fighting chance of maintaining current service levels, mainly fire protection and emergency medical service. The district’s woes are attributed to operational and financial issues predating current management and going back many years; issues such as misuse of grant funds and deferred capital and maintenance expenditures to artificially inflate fund balances call into question the sustainability of the CSD. Looking ahead, Morongo Valley residents may have to choose between approving a special tax to keep the district operational or coping with the likelihood of increased costs and reduced services that a takeover by County Fire would bring.
