Plan to Annex Base Makes Progress

A happy New Year is in the works for this Mojave Desert city as plans to annex the neighboring Marine Corps base move forward.

The Twentynine Palms City Council this week approved legislation needed to send the city’s annexation proposal to the Local Agency Formation Commission.

That follows a unanimous vote by San Bernardino County supervisors to support the plan, which would nearly double the city’s population overnight and bring in an extra $500,000 a year in state money.

“This is the kind of situation where everyone gains something,” said Robert Redondo, an assistant to San Bernardino County Supervisor Kathy Davis. “The city gets more revenue and the people at the Marine base get better services.”

Twentynine Palms’ efforts to annex a portion of the sprawling Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center began about six months ago. Marine and city officials have agreed that the base would retain control of such services as police, fire, cable television and garbage collection.

That’s good news for this city of 12,000. Since city officials would not have to beef up police or fire services to patrol the additional 10,000 people and 3.8 square miles, the estimated $500,000 per year Twentynine Palms stands to receive from gas tax and motor vehicle registration could go directly to city improvements.

The final hurdle for the city is the Jan. 19 LAFCO hearing.

“You never know what will happen in a public hearing,” said City Manager Jim Hart, who came up with the annexation plan as part of course work for his PhD. “Someone can bring up a point or problem no one has thought of and stop the process right there.”