After hearing an update on the latest COVID-19 numbers at its meeting last night, the Yucca Valley Town Council extended indefinitely the COVID-19 emergency proclamation. During public comment, three residents urged the council to reconsider its decision to oppose listing Joshua trees as a threatened species. Mayor Jeff Drozd mentioned that he would like the town to consider beginning the process of developing a region-wide Natural Communities Conservation Plan, an expensive and years-long project that would allow individual landowners to remove Joshua trees if their activity is consistent with the conservation plan. And finally, the council learned that the Yucca Valley Film Festival will be held online this year. Managing editor Tami Roleff says the council heard good news and bad news about the town’s budget…
Last night during its regular meeting, the Yucca Valley Town Council learned that the town’s 2019-20 budget didn’t get hit as badly as expected because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While sales tax revenues were down by $550,000, increases in property tax revenues, sale of town property, and short-term vacation rental permit fees, among others, made up for the loss and even resulted in a surplus of $181,000 in revenues. However, there were increases in legal fee expenses, COVID-19 expenses, and services for plan checks and permits. So the budget had a deficit of only $44,000, which, as council member Robert Lombardo said, was not quite as bad as the town expected.
