Residents pack Town Hall for supervisor’s coffee

About 75 people packed Ramona Town Hall’s west wing Feb. 27 to listen to and share concerns with County Supervisor Dianne Jacob at her Coffee with Constituents.

After hearing introductions from everyone, Jacob noted there were quite a few stating they were there to support Light of the Lamb Ministry, which is at risk of losing its two properties because of overdue taxes. The supervisor, however, did not allow public discussion on the matter.

“There are tax issues that need to be resolved,” she said, adding that it needs to be handled by the county treasurer’s office.

Pastor Mark Baker and his wife, Christie, operate the intercessory ministry at 324 Seventh St. that provides shelter and aid to the homeless and less fortunate. If they cannot pay approximately $50,000 in overdue taxes and penalties on their two parcels by 5 p.m. March 23, the parcels will go on the

county’s public auction tax sale March 24, according to the tax collector’s office.

Jacob acknowledged the ministry is facing a dilemma, but said, “It’s out of my hands.”

A disappointed Mark Baker walked out of the coffee soon after that. The pastor and his wife have told the Sentinel they originally thought they were exempt from property taxes because the ministry has nonprofit status but, among other issues, they learned they had to file for a certain exemption because they live on one of the parcels.

On Monday, Baker said that through selling items and increased work in his auto repair business, he should be able to pay the property taxes for the church parcel.

“There’s been enough work and there’s been some kind people in town,” he said.

The pastor still hopes to save both parcels.

Other concerns mentioned by attendees at the coffee included issues within mobile home parks — Jacob told those residents she would talk with them afterward — traffic on Main Street, and whether the county will obtain the Caltrans yard next to the Ramona Library for the future Ramona Intergenerational Community Campus (RICC).

Caltrans indicated in late 2013 that it would allow the county to acquire its property at Main and 12th streets for the RICC providing the county found a suitable replacement site for the state transportation agency. Jacob said the county had a site to swap with Caltrans but the seller backed out. There is renewed interest in a swap, she said.

“We’ve got to have that property for the RICC project,” said Jacob, adding that it could be the site of a future skatepark.

When Jacob talked about the County Fire Authority and improvements to fight wildfires, Maurice Waters, who sits on the board of directors for Intermountain Fire and Rescue, said the department needs paramedic services. Intermountain, which joined the fire authority and services 137 square miles, has no ambulance, advanced life support or paramedics, he said. The station, on the eastern edge of Ramona on state Route 78, deals with many motor vehicle accidents, Waters said, and 70 to 80 percent of calls are emergency services.

According to Waters, the station sends its emergency medical technicians (EMT) on fire engines and, when necessary, calls for paramedics from another agency or Life Flight. That can take 20 to 30 minutes sometimes, he said.

Jacob said she wasn’t aware of the problem but they can work on it.

Pointing out an article in the Feb. 27 issue of the U-T Business section, “Sempra Earnings rise on SDG&E Performance,” Jacob said, “They’re making a lot of money on us.”

She spent a considerable amount of time talking about SDG&E’s charges and rates and pushed for rooftop solar.

“Get out from under the thumb of our local utility,” she said. “And we don’t need these big solar farms.”

She talked about the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program that offers opportunities for financing solar energy, as well as water efficiency projects, by repaying over a time period on property tax bills. The program was for commercial but is now available for residential, she said.

The supervisor also detailed her involvement in launching The Alzheimer’s Project, spearheaded by the county to find a cure for and raise public awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease.