Given the latest news about Chico’s pension deficit, I have to laugh at Stephanie Taber and her suggestion of a quarter cent sales tax increase to “fix the roads”. Good one Steph, especially that part about a citizen’s advisory committee to make sure the funds are spent appropriately. Read the latest Yuba-Sutter Political Notes from Lou Binninger in the Territorial Dispatch.
http://territorialdispatch.biz/component/edocman/?task=document.viewdoc&id=342&Itemid=0
“On August 9, the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency (SBFCA)
in charge of managing more than $200 million in levee upgrades
disbanded the Citizens’ Assessment District Advisory Committee
(CADAC). It did so after promising to establish and utilize the ‘watchdog’
group in exchange for the public’s support for the 2010 levee
improvement assessment measure.
“Two previous measures had failed until public assurances were
given that a citizens committee would examine the finances and
ongoing management of the revenues from stiff property assessments
on more than 30,000 parcels and continuing for 33 years. The
public did not trust huge property assessments handed over to an
unelected and unsupervised agency. “
The other problem with “citizens advisory committees” is that they are not elected either, but appointed by the board or council that has passed the revenue measure. Chico Unified school district got to set up the rules about who could participate and then appoint citizens to their advisory committee. I’ve looked for information online, but in the case of the recently passed Measure K, all I could find was the Charter Schools advisory committee. It looks like the committee members are all district employees, like Margaret Reece, CEO at Country Day, and Dan LaBar, principal at Inspire.
I wrote to district finance manager Kevin Bultema to ask for more information, let’s see what he says. But so far, I don’t see much oversight on Measure K, just puff pieces in the ER about all the wonderful projects they’ve been doing. I still see the portables standing at Hooker Oak.
Meanwhile, do you think Taber and her quiet friends on staff have given up on a sales tax increase? I don’t.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
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