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Council establishes single citizen oversight committee for sales and utilities taxes
Summary
The council adopted a resolution creating a three-member citizen oversight tax committee to review the recently passed sales tax and the utility user tax (UUT); the committee will be advisory, meet annually during audit season and the council signaled preference for finance-experienced applicants but left bylaws changeable by council.
The Cloverdale City Council voted unanimously to establish a single three-member citizen oversight tax committee to review both the recently approved sales tax and the city’s utility user tax (UUT).
Alex (staff member) told the council the measure combines oversight for both taxes into one committee, based on prior council direction. The committee will be advisory only: it will review how the revenues were spent in the prior fiscal year and deliver a report to the council before the next budget adoption. “They are solely a recommending body,” Alex said, adding that the council retains spending authority.
Staff noted the committee will generally meet in the first half of the calendar year — after audits and fiscal-year close — so members can review the prior year’s audit and make recommendations before the June budget adoption. The bylaws allow the council to change committee rules at any time and to remove committee members without cause, Alex said. The staff report indicates a preference for applicants with municipal finance experience or CPAs but does not make such experience mandatory.
Council Member Morgan Stern made a motion to adopt the resolution establishing the committee and adopting the bylaws; the motion passed on a voice vote, 5-0. Staff said it would begin recruitment and either bring applicants straight to council for appointment or request a subcommittee for candidate screening, depending on the volume and quality of applicants.
No public comment was offered on the item at the meeting. The council’s action creates an oversight mechanism that can make recommendations but cannot compel spending changes.
