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“In towns and cities... there is no more important institution than the local paper.”
Warren Buffett
FROM CITY NEWS SERVICES
The Measure I Citizens’ Oversight Board presented its final Annual Report to the La Mirada City Council at Tuesday’s Study Session meeting. The five-member Board was created to review and report on revenues and expenditures of Measure I funds, the City’s one-percent transactions and use tax, which was approved by 66.63% of voters in 2012.
Measure I officially expired on March 31, 2018. The tax generated more than $29 million during its five-year term, exceeding original estimates that ranged from $20-$25 million. The funds were used to complete five phases of neighborhood street improvements throughout La Mirada. The most recent phase was completed earlier this year using remaining Measure I funds and supplemented by gas tax funds.
More than 90 percent of the nearly $29.3 million received from Measure I was spent on construction. The balance was spent on engineering, survey, inspection and plans/specifications. The Measure I street improvement projects were completed in addition to the City’s existing robust capital improvements program. Nearly $76 million in infrastructure improvements were completed during the past six years. These included arterial street enhancements, traffic signal modifications, landscaped median renovations, facility improvements, new playgrounds at all parks and slurry seal roadway maintenance.
While giving his report, Measure I Oversight Board Vice Chairman Lee Olsen said, “We can verify that all funds were dedicated to infrastructure improvements, the City continued to fund other projects at the same levels and, of course, the tax did sunset after five years. Promises were made, and promises were kept.”
Serving on the Measure I Oversight Board with Lee Olsen were Chairman Hal Makin and Members Philip Massey, David Morfin and Scott Watkins.
“We appreciate the great work completed by the Oversight Board and are pleased that our neighborhood streets are now in excellent condition with additional neighborhood improvements planned for later this year and next,” says Mayor John Lewis. “We can also report that La Mirada now has the lowest sales tax rate in Los Angeles County.”
The Measure I Oversight Board’s Final Annual Report will be included in an upcoming issue of the City’s newsletter and posted on the City’s website at cityoflamirada.org.