Wildomar City Council Taking Measured Approach On Parks Measure

Observing the Wildomar City Council meeting this past Thursday was a civics lesson for naysayers who think they can’t affect local government.

Thursday night’s main attraction was whether council would adopt resolutions to push forward a June 7 special municipal election that would see a single parks’ measure on the ballot.

As I have already reported, if the resolutions had been adopted Thursday night as written, “they would have triggered the process of putting a single ballot measure before the voters that, if passed, would see an annual base tax of $28 imposed on Wildomar property owners to pay for maintenance of the city’s three existing parks.

“The proposed measure, if passed, would also allow the city to form a Community Facilities District (CFD) and incur up to $5 million in debt via bonds, which would come out of residents’ checkbooks at an additional annual base tax rate of $17. The money would be used to construct a new city park east of the 15 Freeway.”

During the meeting, experts hired by the city presented background information on the parks initiative, and Wildomar residents expressed their reservations and, in most cases, overwhelming support for the proposed measure.

The prominent concern expressed by some during the meeting was the bond issue and CFD. These residents said they would gladly pay the $28, but they don’t want the CFD.

In total, five residents objected to the resolutions as written Thursday night; most, however, supported the parks and the $28 tax. By comparison, 14 residents (including a few children) said they supported the resolutions as drafted.

All residents gave well-articulated public comment, and City Council members were listening. Rather than push the issue forward, as some might have expected with such strong community support, council members instead agreed to take a harder look at the measure and consider how palatable it might be without the bond issue attached.

Three of the council members publicly stated that the measure probably stands a better chance of voter approval in June without the bond issue.

On March 7 at 6:30 p.m., Wildomar residents and City Council will once again convene at City Hall to take a closer look at the proposed parks measure. All present will have the opportunity to air their thoughts.

For anyone who believes the parks initiative is being rammed down residents’ throats wasn’t at Thursday’s City Council meeting. With all due respect, it would have been easy to get the resolutions through – there was enough public support Thursday night.

But five Wildomar residents turned out to condemn the bond issue, and five City Council members listened thoughtfully.