The Yucca Valley Town Council heard the results of a community livability survey last night, and managing editor Tami Roleff says the council heard pretty good news…
Yucca Valley is a pretty good place to live, and most residents are happy with the services provided by the town. That was the gist of a community livability survey presented last night to the Yucca Valley Town Council.
A consulting firm surveyed 467 people, and of those people surveyed, 71 percent said that Yucca Valley was an excellent or good place to live; 62 percent thought it had a good quality of life, and 60 percent said it was a good place to raise a family. Those surveyed also said their top priorities of what they liked most about Yucca Valley were the small town atmosphere and nature/environment/Joshua trees; two-thirds said they were satisfied with the town’s efforts to provide municipal services, and that public safety and fire prevention were the most important service offered by the town.
The council also reviewed the recommendations by the Measure Y and Z Revenue Oversight Commission for how to spend the funds generated by the new taxes. The town estimates it will receive about $1.5 million in 2017-18, and the first priority is to fully fund a new Sheriff’s detective and Sheriff’s service specialist, who are expected to start in January. More than half of the Measure Y funds will go toward infrastructure in the town, and about $285,000 will go toward quality of life issues, such as parks, expanded senior programing, and funds to community non-profits. (Measure Z funds will go straight to the Hi-Desert Water District to lower residents’ sewer assessments.)
And finally, the council voted to raise its compensation to $557 per month, with planning commissioners receiving $100 per month and parks and rec commissioners $50 per month.
