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Measure V oversight committee reports funds used as promised; public works and police cited as main beneficiaries
Summary
The Measure V Citizens Oversight Committee presented its annual report saying FY24 Measure V revenue and expenditures matched program promises: fiscal year receipts and carryover, spending priorities, and performance highlights for public works and the police department.
Ridgecrest — The Measure V Citizens Oversight Committee presented its annual report to the City Council, reporting that Measure V funds were used as promised and outlining how fiscal year 2024 revenues and expenditures were allocated.
Chris Hill, representing the committee, said the committee’s findings were drawn from city staff records and that the oversight group found transparency in the data provided. “The Measure V funds are being used as promised,” Hill told the council as he opened the presentation.
Hill and committee members described fiscal-year figures: Measure V revenue for fiscal year 2024 together with some remaining Measure L receipts totaled about $6.1 million; there was roughly $3.2 million carried over from fiscal year 2023; fiscal year 2024 expenditures were reported at about $7.3 million; and the committee reported a remaining carryover of roughly $1.9 million heading into the next year. Committee members said the higher expenditures were intentional as the city worked down prior carryover funds.
The committee told the council how funds were spent: about 61% of Measure V allocations were reported as supporting public works. The committee highlighted specific public-works accomplishments for the year, including completion of a downtown street repair, more than a mile of arterial roadway repair, 4.6 centerline miles of slurry sealing, acquisition of a striping machine and grinder, and completion of the city’s 2020–2025 five-year pavement rehabilitation plan. Committee members said the plan will have touched 99% of Ridgecrest street infrastructure by 2030.
Measure V also funded police operations: the committee reported that roughly 34% of the police department’s budget was supported by Measure V funds used for hiring, vehicles, interview-room upgrades and officer equipment. Committee members said officer-initiated incidents were up and calls for service were down — a trend the committee characterized as an indicator of more proactive policing made possible by the funding.
Committee chair Holly Staub and members Brandon Temple, Gupreet Badrain and Joe Shermer joined Hill in presenting details and answering questions. Councilmembers thanked the committee for their report; no action was required or taken on the presentation.
