The Twentynine Palms Water District Board of Directors called a special meeting for this morning. Managing editor Tami Roleff has more…
About a dozen people attended Saturday’s special Twentynine Palms Water District board meeting to plead with board members to delay the county’s annexation of the fire department, or to let the residents vote on the proposal. Director Chancey Chambers, whose absence Wednesday forced the special meeting today/Saturday, said the county’s plan, while not perfect, at least has a sustainable budget to keep the fire department going. “We’ve been through this over and over again…. The perfect is the enemy of the good. I don’t think we’ll ever get it. We have a good plan here, in 20 years, there’ll still be a fire department here .”
Board president Sam Moore explained why he initially voted against the agreement Wednesday.
“The other night I mixed politics with citizens of Twentynine Palms…. As a citizen of Twentynine Palms, do I think it’s a great thing? No, I want it local. But as a board member, it’s a sustainable budget…. Does the public care? No. A resident told me, ‘All I care is when I dial 911 that someone is there saving my life or putting out a fire.’”
And with that, the board voted 4-1, with director Carol Giannini dissenting, to approve the agreement in which the city takes over the fire department’s unfunded pension liabilities, one of the final measures needed to complete the annexation of the fire department by the county.
