Problem: Emergency Services
Although the Monte Rio Fire Department is well aware of street locations in Villa Grande vs. Monte Rio, that is largely due to the institutional knowledge of the Fire Chief, Steve Baxman. Long term, a solution to avoid confusion will be needed, especially if fire district consolidation takes place, since an emergency response delay of only a few minutes can have a severe impact to property and personal safety.
Problem: Utilities
Comcast, AT&T and PG&E have trouble differentiating between the two communities. Responses from utilities have included claims that Villa Grande does not exist. They have even stated that they cannot provide service to our area even though, in fact, they do. In desperation, residents have tried using Monte Rio as the town only to be told that the street number addresses do not go that high in Monte Rio.
Problem: Property Title
Since the County records at Permit Sonoma show our town as Monte Rio, title companies get confused over the location of our property and the validity of permits that have been obtained. Frequently, a letter needs to be sent to the title company to clarify which community a property is actually located in. Property transactions have been delayed due to this added step in the sale of property.
Problem: Package Delivery
Receiving deliveries of packages is the single most irritating issue for residents of our community. Websites will reject our address because they do not recognize the community. Frequently, they will not accept a post office box for delivery. A resident may need to manually override the address or even talk with a representative to get an address accepted. The ability to get packages delivered is a significant issue when the nearest city with stores is 40 minutes away in Santa Rosa.
