Reporting 67% budget savings, the MVCSD Board votes to maintain informal spending freeze

Last night, the Morongo Valley Community Services District Board of Directors held their regular meeting at Covington Park’s multipurpose room.

The Board discussed lifting the district’s eight-month spending freeze informally instated last March. While they reported “enormous progress” being $53,000 under budget in what Finance Director Johnny Tolbert calculated as a 67% savings of where they were in March, the Board cited their mindful collective oversight and ultimately decided to keep their informal “freeze” in place. This would continue the district’s practice of a $2500 spending limit with $10,000 for emergencies unless otherwise decided at a public meeting. 

After a tree recently fell in Covington Park just 48-hours after a public event, the Board took actions to get quotes from three different arborists to service problem sites in the park, approving West Coast Arborists with a quote for $6900.

After a stray dog was recently found abandoned and tied to a rope in front of the Fire Department one morning, the Board approved the $360.00 purchase of a Ring camera system for added security. 

With the ongoing mural project for Covington Park, community member Rosa Fisher has volunteered to paint the front of the building and presented the Board with mockups, featuring a barn aesthetic accompanied with owls, deer, bobcats, and other animals native to the area, and Rosa’s design was approved by the Board.