Friday, October 3, 2014

[Sonoma County] SMART rejects changes recommended by grand jury


September 18, 2014
The Press Democrat
By Matt Brown

Officials overseeing the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit authority have strongly rejected findings by a Sonoma County grand jury that called on the agency’s board of directors to improve its financial oversight and its communication with the public.

The recommendations stemmed from a highly critical grand jury report that faulted the agency for not being upfront about risks to its tax revenue at the outset of the recession and called out SMART’s board of directors for delays in delivering the commuter rail project promised to voters in 2008.

In its official response this week, the SMART board disagreed or partially disagreed with all 13 of the findings in the grand jury’s report, released in July. The board also said it will not implement seven of the report’s eight recommendations, calling them unwarranted.

A SMART official who drafted the response said the grand jury missed the mark with its findings. The SMART board, made up mostly of elected city and county officials, has adeptly managed the rail agency through tough financial times, the official said.

“We’ve done really well, and I don’t think (the grand jury) got all of the information,” said Jim Eddie, who along with fellow board member Barbara Pahre authored the agency’s response to the grand jury.

No comments: