Santa Cruz Grand Jury says county could save taxpayers a little cash

By Kurtis Alexander
Posted: 12/05/2009 01:30:27 AM PST

County leaders could be doing more to save a little taxpayer money here and there, grand jurors said Friday.

The grand jury, an all-volunteer watchdog panel that released recommendations earlier this year on ways to improve local government, published the responses to its report this week. At a press conference Friday morning, members said county government was among the agencies that didn't seem to embrace their suggestions.

"I feel like they're just putting us on, to tell you the truth," said juror Richard Perez.

In responding to grand jury suggestions on how to save money, the county commonly cites limited finances as a reason it can't execute the recommended actions, an explanation many jurors didn't accept.

"If you spend a little money, you save a lot of money," said juror Mary Bergthold.

The June grand jury report, among other things, recommended county leaders consolidate storage space and dispose of old records to trim its rental expenses as well as take advantage of state-issued credit cards to cut down local administrative costs.

The county Board of Supervisors, in its response, says it does not have the money to evaluate its storage facility, nor does it expect it can realize savings there. The board also says using the state's CAL-card may have advantages but any additional savings that result could be undermined by fraud and waste.

An additional grand jury recommendation that Scotts Valley schools do more to address teen alcohol and drug abuse has already been met with the assignment of a police officer on the high school campus.

A grand jury recommendation that Pajaro Valley schools do a better job evaluating retirement incentives is playing into renewed school board discussion of retirement policies.

Jurors said Friday that education leaders in both Scotts Valley and Watsonville could do more to address their concerns, but said at least they're listening.

"The grand jury report did exactly what we wanted," said jury forewoman Lorna Horton, referring to the report on Scotts Valley teen drinking. "It drew attention to the issue."

To view the grand jury report, visit http://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/grandjury/.

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_13933345