Salinas leaders appoint Measure G oversight committee

The Measure G debate continued Tuesday at the Salinas City Council meeting as residents voiced their concerns over how the money will be spent.

Measure G is a one-cent sales tax passed in November by Salinas voters. With all the controversy around the measure, city leaders said they expected a full house at the meeting but only about 40 people showed up.

But residents had a lot to say. One woman argued for more officers.

“We need to make the priority of the police. That’s it.”

Measure G is expected to bring in $20 million. It will go into the general fund toward recreation and public works. However, Chief of Police Kelly McMillin believes the needs of the police department will be taken care of.

“I’m confident that the committee will recommend and the council will fund public safety to a reasonable extent,” said McMillin.

To make sure police get a share, council appointed seven community members to serve on the Measure G Oversight Committee. The group is made up of business owner, community activists and former Salinas Police Chief Dan Ortega.

“They’re going to review us prior to the budget, they’re going to review it after we do a budget, and they are going to review the audit,” said Mayor Joe Gunter.

Originally the oversight committee would only meet once a year but people at the meeting were not happy about that. One man questioned the reason for the committee.

“If this committee only meets one time a year, then why even have it.”

After much debate, the council agreed. The oversight committee will now meet at least three times a year and at any time council can remove someone from the group.

“If they need more meetings they will get hold of me and we’ll just arrange it for them to have more meetings so that they can make sure that we are spending the tax payers money the way that they voted for us to spend it,” said Gunter.

And the councilmade these decisions in the nick of time – the city starts collecting Measure G money on April 1.