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Grand jury
issues report on Clean Tahoe Program |
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Nearly $700,000 could be saved over the next 10
years if South Tahoe Refuse Co. assumed the
responsibilities of the Clean Tahoe Program, the
El Dorado County Grand Jury concluded in its
2007-08 final report.
"The city and county should seek a capable public
or private organization to provide, at less cost,
the services now provided by the Clean Tahoe
Program," the grand jury report states.
The finding surprised the president and program
manager of Clean Tahoe, who plan to dispute the
grand jury's recommendations.
"We've got numbers and statistics to make the
grand jury report, in my words, look ridiculous,"
said Clean Tahoe President Mike Phillips.
Clean Tahoe was founded in 1988 and provides
services including picking up litter, maintaining
trash bins in public places and removing illegally
dumped items. It also sponsors Community Clean Up
Day, in which residents can dispose of waste such
as refrigerators at reduced fees, and coordinates
California Coastal Cleanup Day at the South Shore.
By incorporating Clean Tahoe
management payroll, as well as a variety of other
costs, into the refuse company, the agencies that
fund the Clean Tahoe Program - the city of South
Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, the Tahoe Resource
Conservation District and Area Transit Management
- could save $90,240 annually, according to the
grand jury report.
The figures were developed, in part, from the
review of a 2002-03 Clean Tahoe budget by South
Tahoe Refuse, something that was of concern to
both Phillips and Clean Tahoe Program Manager
Ellen Nunes.
"You cannot do a cost comparison from 2003. Those
expenses aren't accurate. I don't believe enough
correct data was collected for them to make the
assumption South Tahoe Refuse could do it better,"
Nunes said.
Representatives from South Tahoe Refuse were not
immediately available for comment Thursday, but
the report indicated the refuse company has been
hesitant to take over the role of Clean Tahoe.
"South Tahoe Refuse is capable and willing to
assume the operations of the Clean Tahoe Program
if asked by the city and county to do so," the
report states. "However, it has been reluctant to
initiate this change because it does not wish to
appear hostile to the Clean Tahoe program."
The civil grand jury provides oversight of local
government, and through its reports makes
recommendations for improving government
operations.
The grand jury investigation
follows a police department probe into the Clean
Tahoe program last year. The police investigation
looked at the financial practices of former
program director Tim Stockton. The investigation
also raised questions about whether city
Councilman Ted Long, who was board president at
the time, was providing sufficient oversight of
the program's finances.
The police department forwarded a report on its
findings to the El Dorado County District
Attorney's office, which declined to file charges.
Assistant District Attorney Hans Uthe said last
July that an "insufficient basis" was found to
bring criminal charges associated with the police
investigation. But Uthe asked the county grand
jury to take a look at Clean Tahoe's fiscal and
management practices.
The grand jury report states: "In the
investigation of Clean Tahoe's management of
funds, financial controls were found to be
deficient. However, the deficiencies are in the
process of being corrected."
The grand jury's report missed the intention of
the original call for an investigation, Phillips
said. He encouraged further investigation into the
former management of the program.
Clean Tahoe's board will
develop a detailed response to the grand jury
findings during their regularly scheduled meeting
April 24.
The program's two major funders also expect to
review the findings at upcoming meetings.
"Obviously, we can't afford not to look at that
and find out if those numbers are accurate," said
South Lake Tahoe Mayor Mike Weber. "It is our
fiduciary responsibility."
Weber said he was going to wait and hear all the
evidence before taking a stance on the future of
the program.
The full council is likely to discuss the grand
jury's findings during the next city council
meeting April 15, Weber said.
The findings also are likely to be discussed by
the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors in May,
said Supervisor Norma Santiago. Environmental
Management Department staff received the report
earlier this week and are reviewing the findings
before issuing a recommendation to the board about
whether to follow the grand jury's
recommendations.
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