If you want to prepare useful questions for Monday's meeting, I highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the 10 pages of the LAFCO Service Reviews for the Twentynine Palms and Wonder Valley Communities, pertaining to Wonder Valley Fire Protection District FP-4, from May of 2012.
The entire report (p. 165-175): www.sbcounty.gov/lafco/items/201205/Item_8.pdf
Wonder Valley only: http://bit.ly/wvfp4
FIRE FACTS
Wonder Valley contracts with the San Bernardino County Fire Department for our fire and emergency services:
http://www.sbcfire.org/
Our Division Chief is John Chamberlin.
We are in SBCFD Division 5 (South Desert)
http://bit.ly/southdesertregion
which includes Big River, Black Meadow Landing, Copper Mountain Mesa, Havasu Landing, Homestead Valley / Landers, Johnson Valley, Joshua Tree, Needles, Panorama Heights, Park Moabi, Parker Strip, Pioneertown, Wonder Valley, and Yucca Valley.
The following report was taken from the SBCFD Annual Report for 2014/2015
DIVISION 5 (South Desert)
LAFCO Service Reviews for the Twentynine Palms and Wonder Valley Communities
www.sbcounty.gov/lafco/items/201205/Item_8.pdf
(Wonder Valley only) http://bit.ly/wvfp4, pages 165-175, May 7, 2012
What we pay now for Fire & Emergency Services
“The reorganization of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (LAFCO 3000), effective July 1, 2008, included the transfer of responsibility for fire services from County Service Area 70 Zone M (serving the Wonder Valley area) to a new Service Zone FP-4 of the newly reorganized San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (‘County Fire’) along with the formation of the regional South Desert Service Zone.”
Included in the transfer was
1. 100% of the ad valorem property tax from CSA 70 Zone M and
2. the special tax for the provision of fire protection service within the Wonder Valley Community from CSA 70 Zone M.
Our 1% property tax goes to the SBFD’s South Desert Service Zone, and the special tax goes to Service Zone FP-4.
“Zone FP-4 has no direct employees; it pays for a proportional share of salaries and benefits costs necessary to serve it and pays a proportional cost of the administrative functions of County Fire and its South Desert Service Zone.” P. 173
OPTION, LAFCO
LAFCO Service Reviews for the Twentynine Palms and Wonder Valley Communities, p 174
“Twentynine Palms Water District as the fire provider in the Wonder Valley community. In this scenario, the Water District could expand its sphere of influence and annex the boundaries of Zone FP-4 of County Fire. The Water District would succeed to County Fire’s assets to include the assessment of Zone FP-4 and become responsible for fire protection services to all of the Wonder Valley community. Benefits could be achieved as the region would elect a single board of directors, have local control of financial resources and determine the level of service to be provided.”
Zone FP-4’s incident response categories and times
July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010
www.sbcounty.gov/lafco/items/201205/Item_8.pdf
http://bit.ly/wvfp4, pages 169, May 7, 2012
WONDER VALLEY DEMOGRAPHICS
Population is difficult to determine as many people live in Wonder Valley on a seasonal basis.
City-Data: 528
LAFCO: 999
Registered Voters: ?
City-Data.com 2013
Median household income in 2011: $15,399
Median age - males: 62.5 years
Median age - females: 60.0 years
Average household size: 2 people
Percentage of population below poverty level: 16.9%
Percentage of units with a mortgage: 38.8%
2015 FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES
