Hesperia annexation into CFD 9401 continued after ballot irregularity

A public hearing on April 29 to annex a 3.52‑acre parcel in the city of Hesperia into Community Facilities District (CFD) No. 9401 for fire suppression services was continued to the board’s May 20 meeting after the clerk disclosed a procedural problem with mailed ballots used for the special mail‑ballot election.

Deputy Chief Corey Nelson of County Fire said the parcel, near Main Street and Catawba Road, is being developed as commercial property and that annexation into CFD 9401 is a condition of the city’s approval to ensure ongoing funding for fire suppression services. Staff estimated the special‑tax revenue from the parcel at about $814 annually and said the property owner had executed the necessary forms requesting annexation.

Ballot irregularity and continuation: When the clerk opened the mailed ballots at the hearing she disclosed that one envelope had been inadvertently opened on arrival and was resealed; County Counsel advised it was acceptable to proceed. The clerk also reported that one ballot returned by the owner contained no marked vote. County Counsel and clerk discussed precedent and recommended giving the owner an opportunity to submit a valid vote; the board then voted to continue the hearing to May 20 to allow the property owner to cast a replacement ballot.

Why it matters: Annexation into CFD 9401 will add the parcel to a funding mechanism that supports fire suppression services in that CFD; the board paused action to ensure proper vote handling and to protect the integrity of the election process.

Next steps: The board continued the item to the May 20 meeting and instructed staff to reopen the hearing at that time to accept a corrected ballot and to certify the election results.

Speaker list (attributions used in this article): - Corey Nelson — Deputy Chief, Business Operations, San Bernardino County Fire (government) - Clerk of the Board — Clerk, San Bernardino County (government) - County Counsel — County Counsel (government; advised board on ballot procedure) - Supervisor Hagman — Board member (government) - Vice Chair Joe Baca — Board member (government)

Authorities referenced: - CFD 9401 annexation process and related resolutions referenced in staff report (specific resolution numbers not specified in public record during hearing)

Clarifying details (from staff presentation): - Parcel size: 3.52 acres (located near Main St. and Catawba Rd., city of Hesperia) - Projected annual special-tax revenue from the parcel: approximately $814 - Owners: sole owners of the property executed forms requesting annexation and waived certain requirements per staff report

Votes and actions recorded: - Action: Continue public hearing for annexation into CFD 9401 to May 20 to allow for corrected ballot submission due to a blank ballot and an inadvertently opened envelope. Motioned and seconded on the record; outcome: approved (unanimous).

Provenance: - topicintro: {"block_id":"3693.92","local_start":0,"local_end":220,"evidence_excerpt":"Alright. Item number 90 is a public hearing to consider the annexation of assessor partial number 3064-471-04-0000 into the Community Facilities District Number 9401, which is in the city of Hesperia for fire suppression services being presented this morning by Corey Nelson. And before I open the public hearing, are there any property owners or persons registered to vote in the Community Facilities District that are here today?"} - topfinish: {"block_id":"3986.43","local_start":0,"local_end":160,"evidence_excerpt":"All right. All those in favor. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Thank you very much with that. The item is continued to May 20."}

Searchable tags: ["CFD 9401","Hesperia","annexation","fire suppression","special tax","County Fire"]