Published by Raymond Ray
Article submitted by Bill Mellinger, Chair, Incorporate Lake Gregory
Editor’s note: Mountain Reporter is presenting to our readers a monthly report on efforts by a group of local citizens to explore the issue of cityhood for the greater Crestline area and whether it would be economically feasible. They have formed a committee, Incorporate Lake Gregory, to study the issue. The following is the next update in the series.
Opinions about the value and cost of cityhood are as vast as our residents. We won’t truly know how much support is present until we are all given the opportunity to vote on incorporation.
In the meantime, we are meeting with the public to learn your thoughts and concerns. The next Community Meeting is this Saturday, Jan. 26 starting at 1 p.m. at the San Moritz Lodge at Lake Gregory. Everyone is welcome and your thoughts matter. The meeting is being hosted by Incorporate Lake Gregory.
Do we have a large enough population to justify a town in the area around Lake Gregory? A variety of estimates say that we have at least 11,362 residents in our proposed boundary area and up to as many as 12,315 residents. We are working hard to get accurate numbers from the county.
Within the area there are approximately 6,100 registered voters. A minimum of 1,525 signatures will be required to file a petition placing this on the ballot. The Incorporate Lake Gregory Committee is working with consultant Kathleen Rollings-McDonald to determine the financial feasibility of incorporation.
Most of the members of Incorporate Lake Gregory were originally doubtful that incorporation was financially feasible. We have all been concerned about the lack of representation due to the size of the County of San Bernardino. We want to preserve the beauty of our town while giving local control to our residents.
Concern for the control of Lake Gregory motivated us to investigate incorporation. Long term, only a town council or a special district can negotiate with the County Regional Parks for control of the lake. Incorporation offers the best opportunity to protect our interest in Lake Gregory.
Frankly, we want a government closer to the people and more responsive to their needs.
The county’s 2nd District encompasses 332 square miles and makes up the northwest portion of the San Bernardino valley and mountains. It is home to more than 405,000 residents. The 2nd District includes three incorporated cities: Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, and Upland as well as the unincorporated communities of Devore, Lytle Creek, San Antonio Heights, and Mt. Baldy as well as the entire Rim of the World mountain communities.
Decisions about taxes such as the Fire Tax in unincorporated areas, various fees, ordinances like the Short Term Rental Ordinance, and Building & Safety issues are made on a countywide basis without focus on our mountain community. No county supervisor can provide the amount of local governance that a local town council could provide. Anyone wanting to have a say in their taxes should be overwhelmingly supportive of incorporation.
Just as important as the increased taxation occurring without our input is the need for increased fire and law enforcement.
Look at this newspaper to see the increase in crime in our community. How can three deputies provide adequate protection and crime prevention for the whole mountain community, let alone Crestline? Even County Fire has reduced the amount of service that we had under the Crest Forest Fire Protection District. But the monies taxed here do not stay here. How many millions of dollars are taxed on the mountain but spent across the county? How much money is spent on administration of the largest county in the world?
We are working hard to get the numbers even though they may be hard to come by. We are so blessed to have Kathleen Rollings-McDonald, former CEO of the Local Agency Formation Commission for San Bernardino County (LAFCO) which has served as the primary jurisdictional authority in San Bernardino County for the last 15 years. Kathleen knows the details about the funding apparatus in San Bernardino County. As our consultant, she knows how to discover the funds that will come to the new town under revenue neutrality.
Before we will take this to LAFCO for consideration, we will have to know if it is financially feasible to incorporate. In fact, we will not even circulate a petition until we have full feasibility information. We will be sharing what we have learned about the finances at our community meeting on Saturday.
About Incorporate Lake Gregory
Incorporate Lake Gregory
In 2017 amidst concern that ownership or at least management of Lake Gregory was going to be transferred to another agency, several citizens met to attempt to protect our interests in our lake. Following the advice of legal counsel, those citizens formed a special committee to begin examining the feasibility of cityhood. Members of the committee are Steve Garcia, camp director, Thousand Pines Christian Camp; Michael Johnstone, manager, Goodwin & Son’s Market; Bill Mellinger, pastor, Crestline First Baptist; John Short, attorney with Brown White & Osborn LLP; and Penny Shubnell, advocate for senior citizens and nonprofits.
Submitted by Bill Mellinger
Chair, Incorporate Lake Gregory
I need more information.