Community Corner

UPDATED: Supervisors Agree to Limit Spending on Ceremonies

All expenditures for a groundbreaking, ribbon-cutting, grand opening or other county-sponsored function would be capped by formula under the policy up for review by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

UPDATE 3:30 p.m. June 25:

Saying they want to ensure taxpayer funds are spent conservatively, Riverside County supervisors today approved limiting the amount of money that can be expended on groundbreakings and other ceremonies for county projects.

"We need some guidelines," Supervisor Jeff Stone said. "We don't need to host big parties to tout our accomplishments."

Find out what's happening in Murrietawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Stone and Supervisor John Tavaglione proposed a policy titled "Celebrate Infrastructure Additions Uniformly," or CIAU, under which all expenditures for a groundbreaking, ribbon-cutting, grand opening or other county-sponsored function would be capped by formula.

Though he agreed to attach his name to CIAU, Tavaglione expressed qualms today, initially refusing to back the proposed policy because he felt it was too overbearing.

Find out what's happening in Murrietawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Rather than put a limit on this, why not just leave it up to each board member (to decide what's appropriate)?" he said, recommending that all requests for funds to pay for celebratory events be subject to a four-fifths vote of the Board of Supervisors.

Tavaglione also took issue with Stone's suggested formula for determining where to draw the line on spending for project completion parties.

Stone said that in order to keep costs "within reasonable parameters," the amount expended on a groundbreaking or other event should be held to 0.3 percent of the total project budget -- and never exceed $7,500.

A ribbon-cutting for a county facility that underwent $400,000 in renovations and upgrades, for instance, would be limited to a $1,200 budget.

Supervisors Marion Ashley and Kevin Jeffries lauded the proposed caps.

"Guidelines are critically important," Jeffries said. "That way we know the rules of engagement in advance."

He proposed capping groundbreaking expenditures at $2,000 or less.

"There should be controls over this," Ashley said. "It's better to have a target out there."

Tavaglione conceded that limits were a good thing, but stuck with his original call for a four-fifths vote on budget requests to cover the costs of ceremonies.

The board voted unanimously to impose the caps -- and require a four- fifths vote for any funding requests that exceed $7,500.

ORIGINAL POST 9 a.m. June 25:

Riverside County supervisors today will debate whether to limit how much can be spent on groundbreaking ceremonies and similar county-sponsored events to ensure there's a standard that reflects the most "appropriate use of taxpayer money."

Supervisors Jeff Stone and John Tavaglione are proposing implementation of a policy titled "Celebrate Infrastructure Additions Uniformly," or CIAU.

Under the policy, all expenditures for a groundbreaking, ribbon-cutting, grand opening or other county-sponsored function would be capped by formula.

"These celebratory events can be and have been, in some cases, very costly," the supervisors wrote in a memorandum posted to the board's policy agenda. "Expenditures may have even exceeded, at times, what would be considered an appropriate use of taxpayer money."

Stone and Tavaglione said that in order to keep costs "within reasonable parameters," the amount expended on a groundbreaking or other event should be held to .3 percent of the total project budget -- and never exceed $7,500.

A ribbon-cutting for a county facility that underwent $400,000 in renovations and upgrades, for instance, would be $1,200. The supervisors suggested a minimum expenditure of $1,000 on all events.

If the board votes to move forward with CIAU, a working draft of the policy would have to be vetted by the Office of County Counsel and brought back for a public hearing before implementation.

—City News Service



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here