Editor:

Last week’s Town Crier said: “Verne Lauritzen, chief of staff for Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington, called to discuss how communication could be improved between Town Hall recreation users and county management.  Lauritzen said the supervisor’s office will take a look at reconstituting a CSA 36 Advisory Board, perhaps with quarterly meetings to start, so that residents of the district could receive reports and raise questions about the recreation and streetlight fund, and receive and give input on how their tax dollars are being used.”

Then, I looked at our property tax bill.   I discovered that 85 percent went directly to the county; 11 percent to Hemet Unified School District; 1 percent to Mt. San Jacinto College District; 0.7 percent to CSA 27 Lighting [CSA number error, but same amount] and 1.3 percent to Idyllwild Fire Protection District.

In August 2015, I met with Supervisor Washington and Verne Lauritzen and asked them to reinstitute the Hill MAC (Municipal Advisory Council) so that the residents of Idyllwild, could get a monthly or quarterly report on the dollar amount of taxes collected by the County from Hill residents and how much was being spent on the Hill, including the Supervisor’s “discretionary funds.”  The MAC is a Council of five people appointed by the Supervisor who would hold regular meetings in Idyllwild where we could communicate our concerns and questions to the Supervisor and the Supervisor would answer the community concerns and questions about many issues, including how our tax dollars are being spent.

I have an appointment to meet with Supervisor Washington at 1:30 p.m. in the Idyllwild Library on Friday, November 6, 2015.  If anyone is interested in joining me to ask the Supervisor to reinstitute the Hill Mac, so that we can find out how 88 percent, not just 0.7 percent, of our tax dollars is being spent, please join me, or make an appointment for your own meeting.  Call 951-955-1030 and ask to speak with Claudia Maunz-McLellan.

 

Susan Nash

Idyllwild

[Ed. Note: The writer indicates she sent a similar letter to Supervisor Washington.]