County supervisors Tuesday
approved changes to compensation for members of the civil grand jury that acts
as a watchdog overseeing government entities.
Supervisors approved the
changes at their regular meeting Tuesday. The San Benito County civil grand
jury was running out of money and had not been meeting as of late. Supervisors
responded two weeks ago by setting up an ad hoc committee on the matter, as
some officials said they would support allocating additional funds for the rest
of the fiscal year while cutting back on compensation to jurors in some areas.
The changes prompted one
current grand juror—the group is below its specified allotment of 19 members—to
proclaim that the action would dissolve the civil grand jury. There didn't
appear to be any similar sentiment from grand jurors at Tuesday's meeting.
The civil grand jury
investigates and reports on entities using taxpayer dollars and reconvenes on
an annual basis. Its members are made up of local residents who volunteer for
the job.
At the prior county board
meeting, supervisors heard from grand jurors about the need for more funding in
order to keep meeting through the fiscal year ending in June. The grand jury
was on pace to soon exceed its 2014-15 budget of $19,500 and was asking for
$12,800 to get through the rest of the year. Grand jury budgets over the prior
four years had gradually increased to $19,500, the amount budgeted this fiscal
year ending June 30.
Supervisors approved the additional
funding and also an ordinance to change the pay structure for grand jurors. The
proposed mileage reimbursement list does not include committee meetings, with
those payments to grand jurors helping to cause the budget shortfall this year.
March
3, 2015
Hollister
Free Lance
Posted by Kollin Kosmicki
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