Last night, the Morongo Valley Community Services District Board of Directors held their regular monthly 6PM meeting at Covington Park’s multipurpose room.
For Fire Chief James Brakebill’s report, he stated the Fire Department staff is continuing to work with FEMA for reimbursements on various repairs to the Fire Department building, including mud damage to the brake system of a fire apparatus. Chief Brakebill also reported the Fire Auxiliary had raised over a thousand dollars over the weekend at Covington Park’s Halloween Extravaganza, and hinted at the upcoming Operation Gobble Gobble, an annual turkey giveaway tradition for Morongo Valley.
After a public hearing, the Board finally passed the 2023-24 preliminary budget. Next on the agenda was updating the CSD’s organizational chart, where the Board made one important alteration to the customary chain of command by putting Morongo Valley Voters above the Board and General Manager, as a strong statement that they continue to work for the residents of Morongo Valley.
When discussing quotes to replace the Fire Department’s backup generator, Director Steve Hayden suggested the Board investigate off-setting costs by trading in their old generator before deciding on one of the two bids, The Board agreed to research trade-in value, as well as the possibility of in-house transport in lieu of shipping costs, and tabled the item until November’s meeting.
The Board also tabled the verdict on repair costs of the CSD’s electrical and wireless interface until November, due to extended wait time on professional assessment.
