Sunday, September 18, 2016

--- Won’t there be an oversight committee checking spending? ---



The rebuttal argument states: A citizen’s oversight committee will review all spending.

This argument plays well as a soundbite, but there is no guarantee an oversight committee will have any positive effect on the use of funds for several reasons. First, it is likely that the members of such committee will not be critics of the government, rather friends and well-known supporters of government actions. Secondly, will such committees be open to the public and will information be properly disseminated? The second part is key as even now our local government faces significant amounts of apathy and disinterest in local matters such as the Master Park Plan, further weakening the argument that sufficient oversight and public involvement will even occur in the first place. Thirdly, will committee members have access to all the information necessary to understand setbacks or unpredicted complications? What powers will be available for committee members? Will they have any teeth or serve as mere rubber stampers?

In fact, residents of other cities have learned this the hard way. In Santa Clara, a 2008 bond measure funding hospital upgrades similarly promised that a citizen’s oversight committee would supervise spending. However, now residents have realized the promised project is behind schedule and over budget, while committee members were not informed of all the growing problems with the proposed project.

Instead, minimizing the amount borrowed to efficiently serve a specific purpose helps diminish the common pitfalls of a potentially toothless and ineffective oversight committee. It must also be stated on the record that surplus tax revenue will be spent towards reducing the debt from the project. Any oversight committee to review that spending must be provided enough information to independently confirm surplus tax revenue is going to paying down the debt. Lastly, allowing known critics of the local government to participate in the committee will go a long way to reflecting that the City is being sincere in working for the best interests of all residents.

Take me back to the Table of Contents

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