Reminder: Meeting on City, Valley-Wide has been delayed

Valley-Wide owns and operates Wheatfield Park, one of the sites that would be affected by the detachment. Menifee 24/7 photo: Doug Spoon

A public hearing in which a county agency will consider the City of Menifee's application to detach itself from Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District will not be held Nov. 10, a tentative date that was originally announced by City and Valley-Wide officials.

The hearing has been delayed until at least Jan. 26, and that date is tentative, said Crystal Craig, an analyst with the Riverside Local Agency Formation Commission. Craig told Menifee 24/7 today that many residents have called LAFCO and are confused about the date. Menifee 24/7 has reported twice previously that consideration of the item has been delayed until January.

The Menifee City Council in December 2015 approved a request by city staff to apply to LAFCO for a detachment from Valley-Wide, which has served the Menifee area for 27 years. The City of Menifee now has its own Community Services Department, operates parks and recreation on the west side of Interstate 215 and seeks the ability to do the same on the east side of the city.

The final determination will be made by LAFCO members after studying data presented by both sides. Craig said more time is needed to analyze the data. LAFCO has scheduled meetings Nov. 10 and Dec. 8, but the item will not be considered at either of those meetings, she said.

A notice of public hearing will be issued when the meeting date is finalized, Craig said. Residents will have the opportunity to attend at that time.