YUCCA VALLEY TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

After hearing an update from the Hi-Desert Water District that the sewer project is on time and on budget, and receiving a year-end report from the Yucca Valley Youth Commission, the Yucca Valley Town Council was introduced to its new Sheriff’s Service Specialist, Katelyn Kelly, who was hired with proceeds from Measure Y tax funds. The number of calls taken by the town’s two Service Specialist officers have more than doubled in the same time this year compared to last year when there was only one Sheriff’s Service Specialist officer.

The council unanimously appointed Joel Camp as a new commissioner to the Revenue Oversight Commission.

Councilmembers then approved its $11+ million-dollar budget for the next two years as well as a contract for the Sheriff’s Department for $4.9 million. Staff warned the council that if a proposed measure to repeal the gas tax is repealed, the town will lose nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in revenue over two years that it plans to use on a project to improve Buena Vista Road. Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Captain Trevis Newport told the council that the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is moving away from motorcycle officers, who will still perform their traffic enforcement duties, but now in patrol cars. The change is for the officers’ safety and due to the fact that a study has shown little to no difference in the efficacy between motorcycle officers and those in patrol cars. The Town will keep its traffic officer, who will patrol in a car now instead of a motorcycle.