Say no to the Community Benefit District

Community volunteers (for various nonprofits) have created their own universe. The community benefit district is going to benefit only the coalition. None of the projects so far have benefited me and are an irritant to the community.

While I respect their efforts, I do not respect the agenda of forcing the community to pay for their projects.

This was a response to the beginning of FPUD /LAFCO creating a community benefit group and I found it very interesting that the people who live here have been ignored. I want to bring up some of the points again and will not use the original poster's name.

"Community volunteers need help for their projects they deem important to Fallbrook."

However, you cannot hold a gun to our heads to make us do what you want.

We all need to give back to our hobbies as our feelings dictate. However, being held up to support other people’s visions is not right. The proposed seven member board at FPUD (two FPUD board members – Charlie Wolf and Dave Baxter have already volunteered and seem to be guaranteed rubber stamps), two members from the nonprofits with their hands in the community's pockets, and three so-called at-large members to be named, have a half million in grant requests before them at this time.

I was one of the local citizens at the FPUD public hearing.

This so-called $5 per month is baloney. There is no cap and no ending to the hands in our pockets. The funds are to be collected by FPUD to avoid balloting as a tax.

Any nonprofit in Fallbrook may submit for a grant. Everyone who has a water meter in FPUD will pay per meter. Fine arts wants a new roof; the railroad group wants to build a museum; the Boys and Girls Club wants a teen center; the wellness center wants a $7.8 million remodel. What will the garden club, the quilt guild, and myriad other groups want?

A few examples: No one asked the community when they planted inappropriate trees on Main Street and the divider. Now they are overgrown, need to be removed and replaced, at our expense. They want us to pay for their vision of Fallbrook, their agendas, What they think Fallbrook needs – a locked Jackie Heyneman Park, crime-ridden Pico Promenade, pots and plants, art in public places. (The Happy's cost $30,000; the train caboose cost $25,000, plus restoration.)

I could not have said this better. Thank you to S. N. the original writer. Apparently our request and opinions don't matter because they fell on deaf ears

I was at those meetings too and the board of directors of FPUD still voted yes. If you don't agree with this direction make sure when election time comes, we have the opportunity to remove them off the FPUD board; vote them out... Charlie Wolk, I will not vote for you. Jim Desmond, I will not vote for you.

If you agree with it, You've been drinking the water. Remember, there is no way to go back as the cost goes up. This is not the time for you to stay silent, speak up at the protest hearing soon to be announced.

J. Scott