WILDOMAR: The Birthing of a City
Posted by: Darin Schemmer | 04/02/2008 10:17 PM
On February 5, voters in the approximately 22-square-mile community wedged on the west side of the I-15 corridor between Lake Elsinore and Murrieta, approved Measure C, which effectively incorporated this community as the City of Wildomar, the 25th city in the County of Riverside and the newest-comer since the incorporation of Temecula in 1991. As we see the same incorporation process taking place this June in Menifee, it's certainly been a spectacular experiment as a political scientist to watch these developments take shape and witness the birth and struggles of a new city.Tonight I attended the third regular meeting of the Wildomar City Council-Elect -- as Wildomar does not become a City until July 1, 2008, held at the Cornerstone Community Church. I suppose one of the things that folks living in already-established cities take for granted is the presence of a physical City Hall and permanent meeting place, as the previous meetings have all been at various locations in Wildomar, each venue with its own acoustical and parking issues. Over 30 people were in attendance for this opportunity to shape the cityhood product.
Wildomar has many of the building blocks necessary and sufficient for civic infrastructure, needed not only to meet community needs but also to shape community character and provide direction and leaders to step up and take ownership in their City. Earlier today, the Chamber of Commerce released its April newsletter highlighting their successful annual installation dinner event, naming the set of business leaders who give economic direction to the infant city, an event attended by Wildomar's able team of Representatives in the California State Assembly, John J. Benoit and Kevin Jeffries. Wildomar is also well-served by a variety of media outlets, within the circulation and coverage area of the Press-Enterprise, the Californian newspaper, local television and radio for Southwest Riverside County, and most recently, the launch of a new website and clearinghouse for Wildomar events and links- Wildomar Voice- the more voices that report on initial city happenings, the more informed and scrutinized decisions that come out of the body.
But here's a bunch of interesting quandaries that could be headache-inducing for forming a city:
- Lack of a City Hall: I first ran into this when our office was preparing congratulatory letters to the new members of the Wildomar City Council. Where do you send crucial correspondence to the "City" if there's no City Hall? On the agenda tonight was an item discussing a City of Wildomar P.O. Box, but one has to wonder how many letters go undelivered because of the lack of a mailing address!
- No Budget Yet: One of the problems with meeting locations before Wildomar officially becomes a City is purchasing some very essential services. Forget compensating Mayor and Councilmembers! In the meeting, the purchase of liability insurance -- in case anything happens at these pre-cityhood meetings that puts the new City on the hook-- was on the agenda. How can a pre-city with no money at all insure their meetings? Also, the Council-Elect made the move to hire their first city staffers, an interim City Manager, City Attorney, and a contract with the public works/engineering firm Interwest, but on good-faith agreements in lieu of actual funding until July 1.
- Wards vs. At-Large Representation: A curious thing also occurred on February 5- the voters approved Measure D, which split, for future elections, the City into five wards. Currently, Riverside and Moreno Valley, with a combined population of a half-million, use this system of electing their representatives, but their sheer size justifies it. The future City of Wildomar will have to contend with the kinds of divisions their voters set in place, and during these first years, it'll be an interesting challenge to see succeeding Councils work for the whole City's good, rather than break into territorial political fights between wards.
- Growth and Development: As Dave alluded to on his posting about Menifee, the one reason for incorporating more pernicious than to simply collect State Vehicle Licensing Fees, is to control development, a negative strategy that will only take the new cities backwards in building the necessary things needed to support the 20,000+ residents of Wildomar. Already, this early, there were public comments about development concerns around the shopping center off Clinton Keith Road and runoff flooding. The new Council should find a constructive way to mitigate these impacts, rather than acquire NIMBY opposition that seems to arise when residents consider a development undesirable. For starters, I hope they definitely attract some restaurants -- all of the shopping and eateries are further south on the 15!
- The Structure of Meetings, Services, Taxes: Probably the most important question residents of Wildomar and any new city have regards the services and how much they'll have to pay as the price of cityhood. I came out of a committee meeting yesterday for a budding group in Riverside and the question of "should we collect dues from our members?" was asked. Before you can answer that, what do you need to pay for, what do you get with your dues? Likewise, the City of Wildomar will have all these matters come up for debate when setting that crucial policy on providing services or contracting them out with the County and private sector. With all five on the first City Council of Wildomar being Republicans, I can trust that the direction of the city is in good hands.
Maybe this is a consequence of the American can-do attitude and ingenuity, but certainly, there's a clear bias in incorporation debates and most other ballot measures-- people tend to be biased towards the more interesting and bold option on the ballot. In government, it's easier to justify expansion than restraint, whether it be funding space exploration or passing a school bond by pitching the Jetsonian design plans, because people are inclined to be led by big dreamers and visionaries. It's a lot harder to break bad news, consider the fiscal impact and whether a new city-- in a time of slumping revenues from all the signs of a receding economy-- can afford that road to self-determination.
It is nonetheless an exciting process to see take hold, in the fastest-growing region of the nation, as communities in Riverside County emerge from agriculture to industry, and the county seeks a doubling in population by 2050. These communities will seek their own destiny, of providing what the Founders lauded as the government closest to the people, on-hand and more responsive than remaining unincorporated. It's definitely compelling to have the ears of five City Councilmembers in your own city, rather than five distant Supervisors -- acting as the City Council, Judge, and Chief Executive -- in the County seat.
The next meeting is scheduled for 7 PM on April 16 at the Cornerstone Community Church.
"...With all five on the first City Council of Wildomar being Republicans, I can trust that the direction of the city is in good hands..."
Who is leading the anti-growth charge if all 5 councilmembers are Republicans and understand that growth gives our future generations opportunity and prosperity?
It's not that the local cities have failed to limit growth; it's that Sacramento has misspent all of the taxes that should go for roads and infrastructure.