The Twentynine Palms Water District Board took the next step in turning over responsibility for fire protection to the county last night. Reporter Mike Lipsitz was at that meeting and files this report…
Last night the governing board for the Twentynine Palms Fire Department voted to move forward with the application to the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, for takeover of fire service by San Bernardino County. The vote was 3-1-1 with Director Carol Giannini voting against, and Director Sam Moore absent. In his presentation, Fire Chief Jim Thompson stressed some urgency in moving forward with the LAFCO application because he warned both Hesperia and San Bernardino city would soon be petitioning LAFCO for county takeover as well. The application fee alone, which initiates LAFCO’s study to determine the feasibility of a takeover, comes with a $70,000 price tag. In water business, directors amended the 2015/2016 fiscal year budget to account for $62,000 in fuel costs inadvertently omitted when the budget was approved earlier this year. And in his report, General Manager Ray Kolisz reported water consumption was down down 20 percent, still short of the 28 percent called for by the state, but called “very positive” by Kolisz.
TWENTYNINE PALMS WATER DISTRICT MOVES COUNTY TAKEOVER OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FORWARD
