RIVERSIDE - Wildomar's and Menifee Valley's bids for cityhood got big financial boosts from the county Tuesday.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to help defray the costs of operating new fire stations in the two communities - if both cityhood-advocacy groups persuade a commission and voters to approve incorporation.

The board's decision appears to have addressed the lone financial stumbling block before both groups.

"This puts them over the top," said Supervisor Bob Buster.

Analyses of the communities had found that both would run into financial trouble at some point in their first 10 years if the county didn't contribute some funds to help staff new fire stations.

Those reports prompted supervisors Buster and Jeff Stone to propose that the county give the two communities the money the county expects to save by having them become cities.

With Wildomar, the savings are projected at $238,000 to $310,000 annually, whereas in Menifee Valley, the savings could range anywhere from $330,000 to $1.5 million a year, depending on which boundary is chosen for that would-be city. Menifee Valley would include Menifee, Sun City, Quail Valley and possibly part of Romoland.

"Ultimately, it becomes … the citizens who will decide whether Wildomar and Menifee become cities," Stone said. "We've laid the groundwork."

County officials said they believe that a county helping a fledgling city is unprecedented in California.

Under state law, a new city must cover all potential revenue losses a county would suffer by the incorporation, a concept called "revenue neutrality."

But with Wildomar and Menifee Valley, the agencies suffering would be the new cities, county leaders said. They believe the incorporation of both communities would financially benefit the county in the long run, hence the supervisors' rationale for approving Buster's and Stone's plan Tuesday.

Buster said the plan is "very creative, but very logical and very fair."

"When (voters) have an opportunity to make a choice about cityhood, they won't have to worry about the city paying its own way," he said.

The reason a community can afford to incorporate without hurting the county is that for the first five years the state gives new cities vehicle-license fees amounting to about $50 per person.

Not all Wildomar residents are convinced, however. No opponents of Wildomar's cityhood group were at Tuesday's hearing, but several recently have said they distrust the financial analysis by that group's consultant, Gary Thompson, alleging that it's biased and inaccurate.

Only three speakers voiced their opinions Tuesday - two spoke in favor of Wildomar's incorporation while one supported cityhood for Menifee Valley.

Sheryl Ade, a leader of Wildomar Incorporation Now, said Tuesday's decision should end all questions about the financial viability of Wildomar as a city.

Thompson, who observed the hearing from the audience, said it's premature to predict whether the question of cityhood in each municipality would appear on ballots next year. The bids first need to be scrutinized by the county Local Agency Formation Commission and the board.

"I would never say it's a breeze," Thompson said. "But … from a financial standpoint, they've (cleared) a huge hurdle."

Joe Daugherty, the president of the Menifee Valley cityhood group, said Tuesday's decision was "pretty clear cut." But he added: "You never know what lurks ahead."

- Contact staff writer Brian Eckhouse at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2626, or beckhouse@californian.com.