Five residents of Walnut Creek have been selected to serve on the committee that will oversee spending of the voter-approved half-cent sales tax increase.  The City Council selected them from a pool of applicants in September, and they took their oath of office on Tuesday, November 7.

The members are:

• Susan Hildreth
• Jesse Smyers
• Jonathan Bartlett
• Molly P. Clopp
• Brian Mulligan

Hildreth and Smyers will serve for four years; Bartlett, Clopp and Mulligan will serve for two years.  Twenty two people applied to serve on the Committee, and ten were interviewed in a City Council meeting on October 17.  The Committee will report annually on the use of Measure O funds to ensure they are being spent correctly.

Walnut Creek to Select Applicants for Measure O Committee

On September 5, the Walnut Creek City Council will select candidates to interview for seats on the Measure O Citizens’ Advisory Committee. There are five openings on the newly established committee.

Council is asked to select the applicants to be interviewed for these openings and determine the process to be used for interviewing candidates. The City Council would then interview candidates during the Tuesday, October 17, 2023 City Council meeting.

Voters in Walnut Creek approved Measure O, a half-cent sales tax, on the November 2022 ballot with 65% approval. Measure O is estimated to bring in between $11-13 million in Fiscal Year 2023 and can legally be used for any purpose.

The stated purpose of the Committee is to review and report on the receipt of revenue and expenditure of funds generated by the tax. The Committee shall annually review independent audit findings of the use of Measure O funds and prepare a report to the City Council. The Committee shall not have any budgetary decision-making authority, shall not allocate financial resources, and shall not make budget or service recommendations to the City Council.

Here is the list of applicants:

1. Bartlett, Jonathan
2. Catalano, Peter
3. Chau, Richard H
4. Clopp, Molly P
5. Contreras, Gabrielene
6. Fite, Geoffrey
7. Halbrecht, Kenneth
8. Hildreth, Susan H
9. Hogan, John Pending proof of residency
10. Jorgensen, Linda M
11. Mulligan, Brian
12. Nocerino, Rosanne D
13. Nollsch, Mark
14. Patch, Laura
15. Russell, Donald D
16. Schwan, Paul Michael
17. Smyers, Jesse
18. Spiegelman, Bruce Pending proof of residency
19. Styron, Harry L
20. Sundaram, Shivakumar
21. Sutherland, Colin Peat
22. Tankhilevich, Boris
23. Wu, Gerald K.

At this meeting, the City Council is asked to select those applicants they are interested in interviewing at the October 17, 2023 City Council meeting; and determine the process they wish to use to conduct the interviews.

Documents:

• Agenda Report
• ATTACHMENT 1 – ORD 2228 PURPOSE STRUCTURE TIMELINE OF MEASURE O CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
• ATTACHMENT 2 – RESO NO 23-30 ESTABLISHING MEASURE O CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
• ATTACHMENT 3 – LIST OF APPLICANTS

Walnut Creek City Council Meeting

• September 5, 2023
• 5:00 PM – City Council Special Meeting – Open Session
• 6:00 PM – City Council Regular Meeting
• City Council Chamber, 1666 N. Main St., Walnut Creek
• Full Agenda — click here

Previous Story

• Aug 4 – Walnut Creek Opens Recruitment for Measure O Citizens’ Oversight Committee
• Dec 5 – Walnut Creek Set to Discus Next Steps For Measure O