Thursday, April 11, 2019

[Kern County] Grand Jury provides recommendations for Measure N Citizen Oversight Committee

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — The Grand Jury released their recommendations for the Measure N Citizen Oversight Committee Wednesday.
Their recommendations were the following:
  • To ensure fairness and transparency in the selection process, the Grand Jury recommends the Bakersfield City Council hold random drawings from applicants to select future Citizen Oversight Committee members. 
  • In the event Citizens Oversight Committee vacancies occur, the Grand Jury recommends the vacant position be filled by a random drawing from the remaining pool of applicants. 
  • The Grand Jury recommends the members of the Citizen Oversight Committee have staggered four-year terms of service to avoid having all new members empaneled every three years. 
  • The Grand Jury recommends the Bakersfield City Council initiate steps to ensure full disclosure on future tax measures by providing detailed information on how funds are to be spent. 
The recommendations come after the Grand Jury inquired into the Bakersfield City Council selection process to establish a Citizen Oversight Committee.
On November 6, 2018, Bakersfield City voters went to the polls to vote on Measure N to raise the sales tax from 7.2 percent to 8.25 percent.
Measure N required the city council to appoint an independent committee to review the expenditure of revenues generated by the ordinance.
The added 1 percent sales tax is anticipated to generate $50 million annually.April 10, 2019
Bakersfield NOW Eyewitness News

By Eyewitness News staff

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