5 Walnut Creek Residents Selected For Measure O Oversight Committee
WALNUT CREEK, CA — Five Walnut Creek residents were recently selected to serve on the committee that will oversee the spending of Measure O, the half-cent sales tax increase approved by a majority of Walnut Creek voters in November 2022.
Walnut Creek City Council selected the new committee members from a pool of 22 applicants who applied in September.
Ten of the people who applied were interviewed during an Oct. 17 City Council meeting, and the following five were selected for the Measure O Citizens’ Oversight Committee:
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Hildreth and Smyers will serve for four years, while Bartlett, Clopp and Mulligan will serve for two years. Geoffrey Fite and Colin Sutherland were added to an eligibility list to serve as alternate members.
Four of the new members took the oath of office at the Nov. 7 City Council meeting — Jesse Smyers was absent — and expressed their gratefulness for the opportunity to serve the community in this way.
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“Measure O is such an important revenue source for our community,” Clopp said. “We need to tend it wisely and I’m excited about the opportunity to be part of the team that helps oversee how that process unfolds.”
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Hildreth said the city’s use of fiscal sound policy over the years was one of the reasons she supported Measure O.
“I felt it was a valid way to address the need we had,” Hildreth said. “I hope I can help in making sure that fiscal analysis and fiscal clarity is aligned with how we want to spend that money and I’m happy to do so.”
Measure O To Bring In $11 Million Per Year, City Says
It is the first such sales tax for Walnut Creek and will remain in effect for 10 years.
The city expects it will raise around $11 million annually —depending on the economy — to be spent on current and future quality-of-life needs throughout the city.
The City Council decides how to use the funds and what projects or areas should be prioritized, while the Citizens Oversight Committee is expected to report annually on the use of Measure O funds to ensure they are being correctly spent.
One of the projects made possible by Measure O is the new Aquatic and Community Center at Heather Farm Park. The project to replace the 1970s-era facilities is currently in the design phase, which involves the creation of detailed documents such as building plans, landscape plans, floor plans and pool plans. The construction phase of the project is anticipated to be a two-year process, from summer 2025 through summer 2027.
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