Bob Archibald, who own a Shell service station, complained to Eyewitness News that Maricopa police were targeting drivers and unfairly impounding vehicles for minor infractions. Recently, the grand jury issued a negative report that supported Archibald's complaints.
In that report, the grand jury listed seven problems, including the large amounts of impounds from stops for minor infractions, such as a cracked windshield or missing license plates. Also the grand jury criticized the city's use of a single towing company, calling that relationship "improper."
In Wednesday's report, the grand jury took on the entire city, coming to the conclusion that it should give up its incorporation and let services be handled by the Kern County Sheriff, California Highway Patrol and a would-be-formed Community Service District.
The report, compiled through extensive research and interviews both inside and outside Maricopa, claims the city is behind 3½ years in paying the Kern County Fire Department for contracted services. The city also owes $101,367 to the Local Agency Investment Fund and borrowed money designated for streets to pay ordinary expenses, the report states.
The city's administrators have borrowed from private individuals to cover payroll, made unwritten agreements and have misled or misinformed the City Council, the report states.
Maricopa, founded during an oil boom in the 1910s, once had a population of about 20,000. Now, it's nothing more than a bedroom community with little commercial activity, severely limiting the city's tax income. Much of the city's infrastructure, both private and public, has fallen into disrepair, according to the grand jury.
The report suggests Maricopa citizens voluntarily vote to dissolve their incorporation. It also requests Kern County supervisors step in and give Maricopa direction in dissolving its status as a city.
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