More from Community Services District: Fixed Fees to Continue on Tax Roll, Newsome to Attend Special Conference, District to Oppose Court Closure

At Monday evening’s meeting of the Board of Directors of the Big Bear City Community Services District, the Board conducted a noticed public hearing with regard to the placement of fixed fees—for both sewer and trash collection, as well as sewer and water standby fees (for undeveloped parcels)–on the tax roll, as has been the case for CSD customers in years past. As explained by Director Jeff Newsome, “This is nothing new, what we’re doing tonight, putting it on the tax bill.” Still, the public hearing did garner some polite protest from two individuals, both retirees who reside at the Whispering Pines Mobile Home Park off Highway 38 (which is a unique park, in that parcels are individually owned). The first to speak to the Board said, “I’m trying to live on $1147 a month. I would like you to consider what kind of effect it will have on us—it will profoundly affect us in the mobile home park,” while the second added, “In adding that fee, you slightly more than double my tax bill.” CSD’s General Manager Mike Mayer explained that the district does offer a low-income assistance program and, recognizing the financial difficulties customers are going through, service rates have not been increased for, now, three years. However, at the crux of the constituents’ concerns, it was determined that tax roll items had in previous years been collected through Whispering Pines’ homeowners fees, and were now being collected on individual tax rolls for each of the approximately 250 mobile home owners within the park. The Board did vote to continue to place these fixed fees on the tax roll and, as Mayer told those individuals questioning the $119 standard sewer fee, “The real issue lies with the mobile home park residents and the mobile home park owners” if their homeowners fees had not been reduced yet tax roll items are now being directed to individuals.
In other news from the CSD meeting of June 15, Directors voted in favor of Newsome’s request to spend his designated training and travel budget to attend the Natural Resource Damages Claims conference in New Mexico. As Newsome, a member of both CSD’s Fire and Environment Committees, explained, “I do think this is important; we’re surrounded by National Forest.”
The CSD Board also agreed to send a letter of objection regarding the substantial reduction of hours (come September) for the Big Bear Court, as prompted by a request by attorney Dixie Allison who, last week, brought this concern before City Council. (For details on this, see our story posted June 9.)