LMD meeetings -- boring but essential
In the first of three landscape maintenance district meetings, one resident said the proposed increase of $168 in annual fees in the Caryn community was worth it because it equates to roughly four Starbucks a month.
Tonight, at a similar meeting in Terra Vista, one resident said the proposed hike of $123 is worth it because it equates to about 33 cents a day, or less than the cost of a pack of gum.
That was fuzzy logic to Pat Harrison, who was one of about 40 people who attended tonight's meeting. She told me later, "But I don't chew gum."
This fall, three communities will vote on whether to pay more for better landscape services.
The next meeting will be for the South Etiwanda community, or landscape maintenance district 8. The meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday at Summit Intermediate School. If you live in this neighborhood and care about your property taxes, you should attend. It's very likely there will be cookies and bottled water.
Find out everything you've ever wanted to know about landscape maintenance districts including information about the "service level matrix" at this city Web site.
Tonight, at a similar meeting in Terra Vista, one resident said the proposed hike of $123 is worth it because it equates to about 33 cents a day, or less than the cost of a pack of gum.
That was fuzzy logic to Pat Harrison, who was one of about 40 people who attended tonight's meeting. She told me later, "But I don't chew gum."
This fall, three communities will vote on whether to pay more for better landscape services.
The next meeting will be for the South Etiwanda community, or landscape maintenance district 8. The meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday at Summit Intermediate School. If you live in this neighborhood and care about your property taxes, you should attend. It's very likely there will be cookies and bottled water.
Find out everything you've ever wanted to know about landscape maintenance districts including information about the "service level matrix" at this city Web site.
For years I've heard the Starbucks comparison employed to minimize the impact of any $3 to $4 charge, especially by white, upper middle-class people. "It's like two Starbucks a week," etc., etc.
If the U.S. currency system ever collapses, we should all move to a barter system involving Starbucks.
A Starbucks, a tall latte, a grande have become our vernacular units of measurement to make our splurging, er, easier to swallow.
Maybe next, we’ll call a quantity of 140 a twitter, or a Madoff to mean some colossal rip-off.
What's at stake is not, as your article put it: "...whether to pay more for better landscape services." We will not be voting on whether or not we want BETTER landscape services, but if we are willing to pay the FAIR CURRENT MARKET RATE for the service to which we have become accustomed and which maintains our property values.
I don't receive any other bills that are still charging me only what they charged me 16 years ago. The city of Rancho Cucamonga has gone an amazing job of keeping a lid on expenses while maintaining an excellent level of service. I hope we citizens are willing to pay the fair market value for the services we receive by approving the very minimal rate increase of 33 cents per day. I don't want to see weeds growing along the walkways, and dried-out plants along our streets.
If we don't approve the 33 cent per day increase, we'll end up getting what we're willing to pay for: inferior landscaping and a city that looks like it's on the skids. My only wish is that I could find a way to roll back the increases I've had to pay for electrical, gas, water, and gasoline so that I only had to pay 33 cents more per day, now, for THOSE things over what I paid 16 years ago!
Bravo, RC employees. Thanks for keeping our costs low and being pro-active about letting us know our services need to be better funded if they are to continue. Thank you for taking the time to clearly communicate the various factors involved in maintaining our beautiful city.