Updated March 9, 2018 at 7:33 p.m.
The San Diego Association of Governments Friday extended the application deadline for members of the public to serve on its newly created Audit Committee after the initial deadline passed with little interest.
Area residents now have until April 20 to apply for a seat on the committee, which will be charged with hiring an independent auditor and overseeing that auditor and the creation of an annual audit plan. The agency had received “few” applications by Friday, the initial deadline, according to spokeswoman Jessica Gonzales.
The creation of the committee was called for in state legislation which also changed the way the board conducts its votes in an aim to reform the troubled agency.
The three public committee members will serve two-year terms beginning in June alongside two SANDAG board members.
Applications will be considered by a screening committee. Those interested are asked to submit an application, resume and a conflict of interest form available on SANDAG’s website.
The agency is trying to recover from a scandal in which an economic modeling error caused it to overstate the projected revenues from 2016’s Measure A, which would have raised the countywide sales tax by a half-cent in order to pay for transportation and environmental improvements. Staff became aware of the problem before November’s election, but failed to inform board members or the public.
The measure fell short of the two-thirds necessary for passage.
Longtime SANDAG Executive Director Gary Gallegos resigned shortly after the release of a scathing report from an Orange County law firm commissioned by the agency that primarily delved into details of the failed economic forecast, but also found that agency executives ordered the deletion of documents related to the issue that were less than 60 days old.
The agency is in the process of finding a new director.
–City News Service
