A Ceres resident is needed to fill a vacancy on the oversight committee designed to look to ensure that Measure L tax dollars are being spent in the right projects.

Measure L is the Transportation Ordinance and Expenditure Plan approved by Stanislaus County voters on Nov. 8, 2016. The measure raised the sales tax in Stanislaus County on April 1, 2017, by a half-cent for a total period of 25 years to improve local streets and roads, improve connectivity and reduce congestion.

Measure L was written to include strong taxpayer safeguards to ensure that projects and programs approved by voters are funded and delivered. The Measure L Oversight Committee provides an enhanced level of accountability for expenditures made under the plan to ensure that all voter mandates are carried out and that the financial integrity and performance of the program is maintained.

The committee does not make policy but is a committee of the Stanislaus Council of Governments acting as the Stanislaus County Transportation Authority.  The committee may make recommendations to the StanCOG Policy Board and is responsible for annually reviewing the independent fiscal audit of the expenditure of the tax funds and issue an annual report on its findings regarding compliance with the expenditure plan. The panel also oversees the proper use of sales tax funds and implementation of the programs and projects set forth in the Expenditure Plan and making recommendations to the board.

The Measure L Oversight Committee consists of one representative appointed by each of the 10 jurisdictions in Stanislaus County.

Meetings are held quarterly on the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the StanCOG Board Room, 1111 I Street, third floor, in Modesto.

Meetings are open to the public and there is an opportunity on every agenda for the public to offer comments.

Those interested in becoming a member, is urged to complete the application form (available online at http://www.stancog.org/pdf/committees/measure-l/2019/measure-l-application.pdf) and submit it to StanCOG. The positions are open until filled. Print and mail completed application to: StanCOG Measure L Oversight Committee 1111 I Street, Suite 308 Modesto, CA 95354 For more information, call StanCOG at 525-4600.

Applicants should be willing to serve three to five years and commit to being at meetings. Applicants should demonstrate an interest and history of participation in community activities, with special emphasis on transportation-related activities.

Members of any StanCOG Advisory Committee or other Authority are not eligible to serve. Those appointed or elected to office are not eligible, nor is anyone who has a financial conflict of interest with respect to the allocation of sales tax revenue.

Members of the committee are: Chairman Craig Lewis (representing Modesto), Vice Chair Cary Pope (Riverbank), Mike Day (Hughson), William Bowker (Oakdale), Peter La Torre Jr. (Patterson), Joel Bernard (Turlock) and Roman Acosta (Stanislaus County). Vacancies are for Ceres, Newman and Waterford.