REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF BOARD GOVERNED COUNTY SERVICE AREAS
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 6, 2026
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Special Districts
SUBJECT
Title
Adopt Resolutions of Intent to Dissolve Various County Service Area Road Districts
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of Board Governed County Service Area 70 and Zones:
1. Adopt the following Resolutions of Intent to dissolve the following County Service Area 70 Zones:
a. County Service Area 70, Zone R-15, Landers.
b. County Service Area 70, Zone R-20, Flamingo Heights.
c. County Service Area 70, Zone R-26, Yucca Mesa West.
d. County Service Area 70, Zone R-29, Yucca Mesa East.
2. Direct the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors to schedule a public hearing at 10:00 a.m. on November 17, 2026, to hear testimony from all interested parties for or against the proposed dissolution of zones identified in Recommendation No. 1, and publish notice of the hearing.
3. Direct the Department of Public Works - Special Districts to mail and post notices of the hearing pursuant to Government Code section 25217.
(Presenter: Noel Castillo, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Board Governed County Service Area 70, Zones R-15 (Landers), R-20 (Flamingo Heights), R-26 (Yucca Mesa West), and R-29 (Yucca Mesa East) (Zones) are funded through property-related service charges paid by property owners within each respective Zone.
The existing annual property-related service charges are $20 per parcel for Zone R-15, $15 per parcel for Zone R-20, $35 per parcel for Zone R-26, and $30 per parcel for Zone R-29. These charges will remain in effect unless and until discontinued via dissolution of the Zones or otherwise changed by future Board of Supervisor (Board) action.
The estimated ending 2025-26 fund balances for each district are shown in the table below. The remaining funds in each respective district will be used to pay for any past and current administrative costs, and expenses incurred in connection with the dissolution proceedings. These expenses include staff time, legal review, publication and hearing notices, and property owner notification. If there are remaining funds after these costs have been incurred, services will continue to be provided until each district’s respective funds are depleted.
|
County Service Area/Zone |
Projected Ending Fund Balance for 2025-26 |
|
CSA 70, Zone R-15 (Landers) |
$ 145,229 |
|
CSA 70, Zone R-20 (Flamingo Heights) |
$ 34,639 |
|
CSA 70, Zone R-26 (Yucca Mesa - West) |
$ 22,337 |
|
CSA 70, Zone R-29 (Yucca Mesa - East) |
$28,824 |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
County Service Area 70, Zones R-15, R-20, R-26, and R-29 were formed to provide road maintenance and dirt road grading services within their respective communities. Annual property-related service charges were established when the Zones were formed to fund these services. The charges, which range from $15 to $35 per parcel annually, did not include an inflationary adjustment and have remained unchanged for decades.
Over time, inflation and increased costs have significantly reduced the amount of road maintenance and dirt road grading that can be provided from existing revenues. As a result, the Department of Public Works - Special Districts (Department) initiated Proposition 218 proceedings to ask property owners within the Zones to approve adjustments to their annual property-related service charges to provide additional funding for road maintenance and dirt road grading services.
For Zones R-20 (Flamingo Heights), R-26 (Yucca Mesa West), and R-29 (Yucca Mesa East), this was not the first effort to obtain additional funding. On December 19, 2017 (Item No. 93), the Board considered the results of mailed ballot elections proposing service charge increases for those Zones. The proposed increases did not receive the required majority approval. At that time, the Board Agenda Item noted that the affected Zones would not have sufficient revenue to provide the intended level of road maintenance and that staff would consider alternatives regarding the level of service provided within each Zone.
In 2025, the Department again contacted property owners to discuss existing service levels and the need for additional funding. Following community outreach and the required Proposition 218 proceedings, the Board authorized mailed ballot property owner elections to consider adjusted annual property-related service charges.
On June 23, 2026 (Item No. 169), the Board accepted the certified results of the elections for Zones R-19 (Copper Mountain), R-20 (Flamingo Heights), R-26 (Yucca Mesa West), and R-29 (Yucca Mesa East). The proposed increase for Zone R-19 was approved and is therefore not included in the proposed dissolution proceedings. The proposed increases for the following Zones were not approved:
• Zone R-20 (Flamingo Heights): 125 votes in favor (45.1%) and 152 votes opposed, rejecting an increase from $15 to $90 per parcel per year.
• Zone R-26 (Yucca Mesa West): 23 votes in favor (43.4%) and 30 votes opposed, rejecting an increase from $35 to $100 per parcel per year.
• Zone R-29 (Yucca Mesa East): 20 votes in favor (28.6%) and 50 votes opposed, rejecting an increase from $30 to $90 per parcel per year.
Because the proposed increases were not approved, the existing annual service charges remained unchanged. The Department advised the Board that available service levels in these Zones would continue to be limited by existing revenues and that the Department would begin the necessary preliminary steps for the Board to consider dissolution of the affected Zones.
Similarly, on August 4, 2026 (Item No. 91), the Board accepted the certified results of the mailed ballot property owner election for Zone R-15 (Landers). The proposed increase from $20 to $75 per parcel per year was not approved, with 437 votes in favor (45.1%) and 532 votes opposed. The existing $20 per parcel per year annual service charge therefore remains in effect. Current funding supports only limited emergency grading after major storms and is insufficient to support routine road grading and maintenance services. The Department likewise advised the Board that it would begin the preliminary steps necessary for the Board to consider dissolution of Zone R-15.
The Zones have now undergone extensive outreach and Proposition 218 proceedings intended to determine whether property owners support increased charges necessary to provide a sustainable level of road maintenance and dirt road grading services. The property owners in each of the four Zones proposed for dissolution did not approve the additional funding. In addition, property owners in Zones R-20, R-26, and R-29 previously rejected proposed service charge increases in 2017.
Without additional revenue, the Zones cannot provide the level of road maintenance and dirt road grading services contemplated when they were formed. Continuing the Zones with insufficient revenues would result in increasingly limited services while requiring the Department to continue administering Zones that lack sufficient financial resources to sustainably perform their intended functions. The Department therefore recommends that the Board initiate proceedings to dissolve Zones R-15, R-20, R-26, and R-29.
Approval of Recommendation No. 1 will adopt Resolutions of Intent declaring the Board’s intention to dissolve Zones R-15, R-20, R-26, and R-29. Approval of Recommendation Nos. 2 and 3 will schedule a public hearing to consider the proposed dissolutions and direct the notice of the hearing be provided in accordance with applicable law.
If Recommendation Nos. 1 through 3 are approved by the Board, the Department will mail written notices to all property owners in Zones R-15, R-20, R-26, and R-29. The notices will identify the date, time, and location of the public hearing scheduled for November 17, 2026. The notice will also explain that voters residing in the Zone may submit a written protest to the proposed dissolution.
At the public hearing proposed for November 17, 2026, the Board will hear and consider testimony from interested parties regarding the proposed dissolution of each Zone. If, at the conclusion of the public hearing, the Board determines that more than 50 percent of the total number of voters residing within the Zone have filed written objections to the dissolution, then the Board shall determine that a majority protest exists and terminate the dissolution proceedings for that Zone. In that circumstance, the majority opposition would remove the Board’s discretion to dissolve the Zone.
Following the hearing and satisfaction of all applicable procedural requirements, for those zones for which majority protests were not received, the Board may consider whether to adopt Resolutions dissolving the Zones.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Sophie A. Curtis, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 28, 2026; and County Finance and Administrative (Scott Bruckner, Administrative Analyst, 387-4020) on September 21, 2026.