CLASH OVER SAFETY FUNDING REPORT FUELS CALL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT CUTS.Byline: David Greenberg The creator of this article, or someone who has substantially contributed to it, may have a conflict of interest regarding its subject matter. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Staff Writer VENTURA - A Ventura County grand jury report released Thursday said supervisors should rescind To declare a contract void—of no legal force or binding effect—from its inception and thereby restore the parties to the positions they would have occupied had no contract ever been made. rescind v. a 5-year-old ordinance A law, statute, or regulation enacted by a Municipal Corporation. An ordinance is a law passed by a municipal government. A municipality, such as a city, town, village, or borough, is a political subdivision of a state within which a municipal corporation has been mandating funds for public safety, fueling the interim chief administrative officer's call for proposed law enforcement budget cuts. The nine-page report said the Board of Supervisors should consider allocating Proposition 172 funds on an annual basis - rather than earmarking  It has been suggested that some sections of this article be split into a new article entitled Earmark (USA). a set portion for each public safety agency.
It also advises the Sheriff's Department to create its budget more carefully so surplus money may be spent on other agencies during the fiscal year instead of its conclusion. ``It just adds another strong voice of opinion on the subject,'' said interim Chief Administrative Officer A chief administrative officer (CAO) is responsible for administrative management of private, public or governmental corporations. The CAO is one of the highest ranking members of an organization, managing daily operations and usually reporting directly to the chief executive Harry Hufford. ``It affects the decisions (supervisors) make. They are free to make priorities, decisions amongst the various elements of the budget. This authority cannot be delegated to the people through the initiative process.'' However, Chief Deputy Sheriff Dante Honorico said the real authority lies in the public, which approved Proposition 172. ``The people of the entire state have spoken - that they want to give priority to public safety,'' Honorico said. ``That's why (Proposition) 172 was passed. ``My feeling is, if the Board of Supervisors want to frustrate the will of the people and choose to spend the money elsewhere, then they are violating their promise to the people. What should happen if it's not going to be spent for public safety is for the county to return that money to the people.'' Hufford has proposed $6.5 million in budget cuts for the Sheriff's Department - part of cuts across county departments for the fiscal year that begins in July - to balance the $1 billion budget he plans to present to the Board of Supervisors June 13. The Sheriff's Department has pledged to appeal proposed cuts to the supervisors. Supervisors in May 1995 adopted Ordinance No. 4088, which mandates that a set amount of money in each county budget would be allotted al·lot tr.v. al·lot·ted, al·lot·ting, al·lots 1. To parcel out; distribute or apportion: allotting land to homesteaders; allot blame. 2. to the sheriff, prosecutor prosecutor Government attorney who presents the state's case against the defendant in a criminal prosecution. In some countries (France, Japan), public prosecution is carried out by a single office. In the U.S., states and counties have their own prosecutors. , public defender public defender, governmental official who represents indigent persons accused of crime. U.S. Supreme Court decisions expanding the right to counsel to pretrial proceedings and holding that a person cannot be sentenced to even one day in jail unless a lawyer was and Probation Department. The measure provided a more narrow definition of Proposition 172, the 1993 statewide initiative mandating a half-cent sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. increase for public safety agencies. ``The current board cannot be bound by budget decisions of past boards,'' the grand jury report stated. The report also stated that the Sheriff's Department has returned $30 million to the general fund since the ordinance was passed - a fact met with disapproval by jurors. ``The Sheriff's Department should budget more accurately so that excess funds, now included in its budget . . . are available to other agencies during the course of the year,'' the report stated. Members of the grand jury refused to comment on the report. County Counsel James McBride James McBride may mean:
``The report confirms the county counsel's (conclusion), namely that the Board of Supervisors has a duty, authority and responsibility to adopt the county budget on an annual basis,'' Hufford said. The Sheriff's Department is expected to receive $30 million of the $40 million in Proposition 172 money in the current fiscal year. That portion of the money will be sorely sore·ly adv. 1. Painfully; grievously. 2. Extremely; greatly: Their skills were sorely needed. needed in the coming fiscal year, Honorico said, as his department is faced with $6.5 million in cuts. Honorico added that the jurors are blaming his department for doing a good job. ``That is penalizing good financial managers,'' he said. ``That's the problem with government bureaucrats. If you turn in a surplus, then they say, 'You must not need the money and therefore we will take it away from you.' However, if you come in at the end of the year in the red, they give you more money to balance your budget.'' |
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