City requests further delay of Valley-Wide plan approval

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The City of Menifee has sent a second request to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, seeking further delay of the consideration of Valley-Wide Recreation and Parks District's Master Plan.

The City first made a written appeal to the Board Jan. 6. In that letter, city manager Armando Villa asked the Board to delay the public hearing because of “very limited public engagement and input from Menifee residents.” As a result, the item on the Jan. 11 board agenda was continued to a later date.

The letter went on to claim that although Menifee makes up a large portion of Valley-Wide’s coverage area, its residents had little input regarding the operations of the district – including tax assessments Villa says are far higher than what the City of Menifee imposes in parts of the City where it has the taxing authority.

The latest letter, dated Jan. 21, seeks another continuance of the matter, which currently is scheduled to be heard at the Feb. 1 Board of Supervisors meeting. It asks that the agenda item “be tabled until Valley-Wide has fully addressed all concerns raised in the City’s prior letter of Jan. 6, 2022. The proposed Master Plan is just the latest example of Valley-Wide’s pattern of making plans and decisions without the appropriate degree of transparency and public engagement and, correspondingly, raising fees and taxes without the appropriate justification.”

The letter repeats the City’s claims that “Valley-Wide assessments have increased as much as 33 percent over the last three years, even though during that time they have experienced staff reductions, reduced maintenance, and park and facility closures. Common sense and fairness dictate that Valley-Wide must not charge struggling Menifee residents more while they receive less.”

Villa further alleges that Valley-Wide “erroneously levied thousands of dollars in taxes impacting over 80 property owners in Menifee. This was brought to Valley-Wide’s attention in early November 2021 by representatives of four new home developments. Valley-Wide admitted to the error and conceded that it does not provide maintenance or oversee parks in those areas. But talk has not translated into action. Over two months have passed, the taxes have already been collected from unsuspecting property owners, and Valley-Wide has not provided any resolution.”

Notified of Villa’s allegations, Valley-Wide general manager Dean Wetter provided the following response:

“This is the first time Valley-Wide has seen Armando’s opinions and we don’t believe they are relevant to the Master Plan process at the County of Riverside. We are reviewing the city’s positions as shared in the letter and will pass them along to our legal department as they are engaged in open communication with County Counsel on the matter.

“While it is not Valley-Wide policy to comment on potential legal matters, we can tell you we remain dedicated to our mission of creating a strong sense of community for all district residents. In addition, we will continue to focus on providing quality recreation facilities and exceptional programs that we believe are key to healthy lifestyles and community well-being for Menifee residents and all the communities we serve.”

Villa asks that the Board of Supervisors postpone the item until Valley-Wide:

-- "Conducts additional outreach on the proposed Master Plan in the Menifee Community, so residents are aware of the plans and have the appropriate time and opportunities to provide input.

-- "Addresses all concerns raised regarding tax and fee increases in the letter and corresponding documents, including but not limited to, processing full refunds to the homeowners that were recently charged erroneous taxes."