Apparently our LMRFD (Lake Mohave Rancho Fire District) fire board is incapable of checking the calendar for holidays on the regular meeting date. There was much confusion about this week’s meeting and I’m lucky I got 24 hours notice after I had inquired so I could attend and record the meeting.
The new administrative assistant Karen used to work for the GV fire district and supposedly she maintained their website, but I don’t know whether it runs on WordPress as LMRFD.
They’re aware that the website is not working properly right and you can’t get to the old minutes and agendas.
Currently only the agenda for yesterday’s meeting shows up. I suspect that’s a problem with the plugin and I have no idea WHY they are using a plugin that can only cause problems instead of just a basic page to post the pdfs.
Karen can simply create a new page titled “Agendas and Minutes”, link to the existing files (media) and then UPLOAD the new pdf files on this page. It couldn’t be any easier, you can arrange the pdfs any way you like, but of course they should be in chronological order with the latest document on the top.
Then she needs to change in the link in the menu to the new page and that’s it!
The defunct email list for LMRFD important info such as board meetings.
Apparently the previous administrative assistant Nancy walked off the job and left no instructions, so Karen didn’t even know that there an email list for meeting info exists. And I really don’t understand why the board didn’t pay Ellen a few bucks to get Karen started, after all, Ellen was there for many years. Did she move away? Is she no longer reachable?
Of course at this point it would be much better if Karen simply added a BLOG SUBSCRIPTION plugin as you can see at the top right on this page (JetPack does it). This way it’s NO WORK for Karen to add and delete people and all she needs to do is POST on the front page about any events, meetings, etc. and ANYONE can subscribe and unsubscribe without one second of work for LMRFD. That’s how it SHOULD be done, with NEWS about meetings and other issues on the front page.
Karen needs to UPDATE the WordPress installation and plugins as needed so it doesn’t get hacked again and everything continues to work as it should.
Karen should also install a SECURITY plugin (I’m using several), most are free, but I actually pay for a premium version with automatic backup prior to all updates. So if there’s a compatibility problem, you can quickly roll back and you don’t have to spend umpteen hours trying to fix it.
And of course the site needs to be BACKED UP daily, again, a plugin does that for me.
I’m going to send the link to this post to Karen and I’ll be happy to have a look and show her how to do this if she has any questions (no charge.)
The LMRFD.org website also provides all kinds of false information on the front page such as:
… We have 2 stations that are fully staffed under normal conditions. …
That’s a blatant lie and it needs to get fixed. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen!
People considering moving to or living in Meadview should NOT be mislead into believing that we have a functional fire and ambulance service here.
Meadview does NOT have a properly staffed fire station, it has no ambulance service and it will NEVER have these services unless all of Meadview joins the fire district. Currently only a small portion of Meadview is in the fire district and Meadview simply does NOT pay enough into the district to pay for proper staffing and equipment. It costs about $70,000/year for ONE fire fighter. AT BEST, there’s currently one guy in Meadview (don’t know about EMT), but the station is actually closed about half the time.
I highly recommend NOT joining the fire district unless EVERYBODY joins because quite likely there will NEVER be enough money to properly staff the Meadview station — the board has done absolutely NOTHING to get all of Meadview annexed.
You might have heard that a helicopter will be in Meadview in half an hour, but that’s a BEST case scenario. They get busy and guess what … they don’t fly in bad weather — such as after last week’s shooting. The ambulance is at least 45 minutes away and it can take several hours if they’re on a call already.
Be aware BEFORE you move to Meadview!
Issues addressed at the fire board meeting yesterday.
The board approved the purchase of 3 computers and getting a small office network installed.
They enjoyed the workshops last week in Laughlin and learned about their duties and responsibilities. Yes, they CAN be held personally liable for mismanagement. Just wait until someone dies because they relied on the false info at the LMRFD website.
The board discussed a “thank you” lunch for the people who paid their property taxes early last fall.
Most of that money actually came from the Mt. Tipton Water Company ($40,000?) and the board decided to invite everybody. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of food I would eat (hot dogs and burgers with crappy bread, full of GMOs, Roundup glyphosate, pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones and countless toxins — not what I call food and I wouldn’t allow it in my compost).
Sadly, the board doesn’t even get that this is an opportunity to promote subscriptions in Meadview and maybe more important, to provide to the public an HONEST assessment of the dire Meadview situation.
Unfortunately, the new board is the same as the old board and just like our board of supervisors, they have no vision …
I told the fire board at previous meetings about the PILT funds and that they need to offer subscriptions again.
They’ve done absolutely NOTHING to increase the district’s income. There’s NO WAY that I will join this district because once you join, your property can’t get out and you’ll LOWER your property value. Many of the people moving here are RETIRING and live on a budget. The fire district tax is based on a percentage of your property value.
Why pay for nothing and lower your property value?
And to all who think that if you want fire and ambulance services you need to move to the city:
In 2006 I moved and I decided to stay in Meadview because things were GOOD!
We had the Meadview Grapevine Mesa Fire District with Tom Little as fire chief.
We had MANY volunteers. We had FANTASTIC response times.
You can thank Steve Berg (current fire board chairman) and Suzann Newell (COM, Meadview clique) for ousting Little and bankrupting the Meadview fire district. Steve Berg became the fire chief and they promptly ran our wonderful Grapevine Mesa Fire District into insolvency, resulting in the consolidation with the Dolan Springs LMRFD. I’m sure that this consolidation also impacted negatively on LMRFD as Meadview never paid for its share of services. Nobody ever talked about the fact that LMRFD fully staffed the Meadview station despite the lack of Meadview tax revenue until they were BROKE. Imbeciles in charge … again and again and again.
We had GREAT fire and medical services until the Meadview clique destroyed our services. There’s no need to move to the city, we’ve had excellent services right here.
That residents elected Steve Berg to the current board is just unbelievable.
How did THAT happen?
The corrupt Meadview COM board, the so-called “community” organization, was at all times fully behind the destruction of Grapevine Mesa and most recently ENDORSED Steve Berg at the public COM meeting in Meadview prior to the fire board election in spring. COM doesn’t allow video recording, would love to post that video.
Questioning the candidates was also PROHIBITED at the COM meetings as I sure would have liked to tell all in attendance to know what’s going on and see what Steve Berg has to say to all in attendance. COM protects the members of its clique and desperately tries to hide the truth.
Sadly, the Dolan Springs Community Counsel is operating just like COM. No public forum for candidates, no hard questions. Allegations of fraud (checks signed by dead people), etc. etc. etc.
Comments by the Meadview COM and the Dolan Council are welcome!
The new fire board is the same as the old board.
The community organizations are corrupt. Nobody has a VISION! And what do you expect?
The fire board members don’t get paid!
It’s obviously too much to expect that VOLUNTEERS spend their time THINKING, RESEARCHING and PROBLEM SOLVING.
Between the corrupt community organizations and most residents not caring one way or another, we are DOOMED.
If I had known that Meadview would turn into the dying town it is now I would have moved FAR away in 2006.
There were times when I wished that I had moved to Dolan, but I realized over the last year that it’s just as bad. Is it like that everywhere?
I suppose it makes sense that the most corrupt people and organizations have the most influence, just like in DC.
Well, this post got a lot longer than planned and I’ll ask Karen to bring it to the attention of the board members for comments.
I’ve already asked Steve Berg repeatedly for his statement regarding my allegations, but his refusal to address the issues at Grapevine Mesa speaks for itself. Got something to say Steve? Is there ANYTHING incorrect?
Please let me know as I want my publications to be 100% true.
I think you pretty much nailed it. I joined the district thinking I was helping out. I think I got screwed. Now try and get out, nothing. I’ve tried to get answers from LMRFD, and the county including the attorney. Nothing, it’s like we don’t exist except for our money.
I believe we need to do something by way of civil disobedience to get their attention. We are nothing but a pay day to them
Rick, so sorry you joined the fire district!
” I’ve tried to get answers from LMRFD, and the county including the attorney.” — do you have anything in WRITING? What were your questions?
Is a crying shame the full and part time residence of Meadview and surrounding areas are subject to this type of dictorship. The com committee needs to be rained in and reminded they work for the residents and now for their click.
The main problem I see here is the majority of residences just go with the flow and let a small group to control their life and property protection.
Attending the recent com meeting regarding the presentation by Frontier it seems the public is more interested in Internet service then life and property protection and that is a crying shame and WRONG…
Randy, you got that right:
“The main problem I see here is the majority of residences just go with the flow and let a small group to control their life and property protection.”
Many residents have NO idea what’s going on and residents with a clue don’t want to get involved.
Back in the 90s there was a big lawsuit against the MCA by a number of residents who wanted out and they lost. You can’t just say you want out, you need to document that the MCA violated the law and then there’s a good chance it will be dissolved and turned into a COMMUNITY organization — open to all!
Back then the MCA wasn’t such a bad organization because it was OPEN TO THE PUBLIC for most events.
People used to have FUN at the MCA and EVERYBODY was welcome!
I’ve heard that even today there are still neighbors not talking to each other because of that lawsuit about 20 years ago. And that’s why so many people just don’t want to get involved.
Add to that the possibility of getting run of the road or ambushed with an AK 47 and it’s no wonder that most people are too afraid to speak out.
I also forgot to mention in my post above that last year clique almost got away with having the LMRFD consolidate with the Northern AZ fire district .
These people are just so incredibly DUMB. Fortunately that did not happen, at least in part due to my publications and because several people in Dolan stepped up (only to be threatened into NOT running for the fire board.)
The people who run Meadview are incompetent losers, incapable of accomplishing anything good. And to make matters worse, they won’t allow ANYONE to do anything that wasn’t their idea. Their motto is “Meadview must DIE.”
There is NO place for meetings, to organize, to start any kind of group such as a co-op, a chess club, a support group for lonely survivors, anything …
The MCA (run by the Meadview clique) won’t let it happen.
Consolidation is GOOD and the norm for the 21st century. Look at Los Angeles County, Orange County, Contra Costa County and a number of cities in San Mateo County. Due to the size Mohave County should consolidate EVERY department and offer paid, part paid and volunteer stations. Mix departments, paid and volunteer seems to be working smoothly in Maryland and a couple other sates in the east coast.
Look at Sunnyvale in California that has a Department of public safety where a number of police officers are also fire fighters. They work as a police officer until a working fire or EMS call and respond in the city police vehicle as a fire fighter and have their turn out gear in the patrol car.
Well, Meadview consolidated with Dolan Springs.
How’s that working for us?
Your examples are NOT about consolidating with fire districts hours away. We have no departments to consolidate with.
You also wrote “Due to the size Mohave County should consolidate EVERY department and offer paid, part paid and volunteer stations.”
You have to remember that we are in ARIZONA which is completely messed up! Our fire district is ENTIRELY funded by property tax (watch for my next post).
There is absolutely no way to consolidate ANYTHING other than fire districts and that’s a very bad move for the people at the end of the line (Meadview.)
When the blind lead the blind it is going to be messed up. Can’t comment on one persons view about Arizona being messed up since I have not been here long enough to have an opinion. When progressive minds come together with a focus on creating protection and safety for all without the “me” attitude things will work.
Randy, Mohave County has to be one of the least “progressive” counties in the nation. After almost 17 years now, I still wonder how just about everything can be so screwed up here.
I’ve had residents tell me that they’d write about and explain why the fire district doesn’t include all properties, but nobody came through.
Best I can tell, the people who originally set up the Meadview Grapevine Mesa Fire District screwed up. It’s as crazy as not being allowed to have chickens way out in the desert while people in town can have chickens and goats and whatever farm animals.
And they used a ruler sitting at a desk for the roads instead of looking at the geography. That’s why the roads suck so bad and get washed out after every big rain. Some moron developer made a lot of $$$ and a “hands off” government approved this crap. This is what you get! FYI, I’m all for personal freedom, but Meadview is a prime example of what happens when you don’t have enough government and regulations to keep businesses from screwing up.
I’m wondering whether they included only so few properties in the fire district so that they could have it both ways — low taxes for the properties outside the district, yet they could advertise that Meadview has a fire district. Just guessing here, it would be a typical developer move.
Until recently you could only join the fire district if you were in certain locations and / or next to a property already in the district. Now everybody can join, but who would want to?