Push toward increasing Landers property taxes for road maintenance continues at monthly Landers Homestead Valley Association meeting

Representatives from San Bernardino County Public Works first held a meeting in December of last year, to inform Landers Homestead Valley residents of the dire situation the Special District Road Maintenance is in. In 1984 when the special district was first formed, $20 was the annual amount assessed, which went a lot further than it does now. Back in the day the roads were properly graded and maintained. These days the only time the roads can be graded is when a state of emergency is declared and emergency funds can be used. There simply is not enough money in reserve to properly maintain local dirt roads.

The Landers Homestead Valley Association board of directors met to formulate and vote on Resolution 2026-005. This resolution approves an increase in the annual road maintenance assessment from $20 per parcel to $75 per parcel. The Board approved the resolution. Members of the association were asked to stand with the board and fully support the $75 annual assessment and the 3% inflationary increase as needed to maintain the roads in the R-15 Special District. The attending members at the February Landers Homestead Valley Association monthly meeting voted unanimously to support the Resolution.

This Public Works Special Districts road maintenance issue has been widely publicized in an effort to get the word out to as many parcel owners as possible that this increase really needs to happen. Otherwise the Special District R-15 will be dissolved and all parcel owners will become responsible for maintaining their own stretch of road. 

San Bernardino County Department of Public Works sent out a notice to each parcel owner in Landers Homestead Valley for a Public Hearing concerning Proposition 218 and the assessment increase. Property owners can protest the increase by attending or a written protest may be mailed to the Clerk of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. The sincere hope is that property owners will understand the need for road maintenance and vote “yes” to the annual fee increase.   

Marina West, General Manager of the Bighorn Desert View Water Agency  and Board president of Mojave Water Agency informed the meeting that 1,075 water meters had recently been replaced. For information on meetings and upcoming events visit the Mojave Water Agency website at mojavewater.org and click on calendar. To receive their newsletter sign up for updates.